


Luckier Children: Heirs of Candy

by CevvyDemandy



Series: WonkaVerse [2]
Category: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005), Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - All Media Types, Johnny Depp - Fandom
Genre: Crimes & Criminals, Killing, Multi, Self Ship, Self-Indulgent, Self-Insert, THERE WILL BE SEX JUST FYI, Taylor has gone crazy, The Bucket family is slowly picked off, Wonka has brothers, You'll be seeing the brothers more, it's gonna be a bigger hell ride than the last story, johnny depp - Freeform, make sure you read the other story before this one!, mention of drugs, self shipping, tim burton - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-28
Updated: 2020-12-28
Packaged: 2021-03-03 20:15:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 11
Words: 40,619
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24951436
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CevvyDemandy/pseuds/CevvyDemandy
Summary: [Sequel to Trades In The Tales of Candy]After a few months of adapting to their new relationship, Wonka finds himself in need of an heir after he finds his first grey hair.  Taylor, of course, offers her assistance once more but Wonka is quick to deny her offer and seeks a non-related solution. The idea of a rigged fool proof contest to find the luckiest child is planned. But what no one expected was the aftermath of this newfound family as the downfall of the candy empire. Wonka is sceptical, Taylor isn't happy, Scarlet is worried, and the poor unfortunate Buckets now found themselves in the mercy of the monstrous factory.[Sorry for any grammar, spelling, typos. Everything will be edited when I finish]
Relationships: Original Character(s)/Original Character(s), Willy Wonka/Original Character(s)
Series: WonkaVerse [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1805830
Comments: 2
Kudos: 33





	1. Good Ideas, Bad Ideas, Stupid Ideas, Smart Ideas

**January 21st**

"I'm not crazy, nor am I suffering from any form of trauma. I was just shaken up, and after the gala, that really threw me for a loop. I don't know why they think this would be a good idea; clearly, it's wasting your time and mine. I guess they just care." The girl switched her locked ankles again for the firth time. She played with the ends of her colourful braids and stared up towards the ceiling in the factory's entrance foyer. This was his idea. To lay down and talk about the mess of feelings she's been having since they've come back from the gala. It's been four months, a new year, and Wonka's birthday since then. 

Taylor had developed vivid, terrifying nightmares of Wonka getting shot in the head. In these dreams, she couldn't do anything as he held her down for her own safety, she would scream, but nothing would come out, and Wonka would fall to the ground lifeless. She always awakened in a cold sweat on the verge of tears, too afraid to go back to sleep, she would stay awake early into the morning wondering the halls with a blanket over her head. Thank god it wasn't Scarlet who found out about her very early morning activities or she wouldn't hear the end of it. Nor would Wonka as Scarlet would have thrown a fit and blamed him for not doing something about it. Then a fight would have broken out as Wonka would have blamed Taylor for not listening and Scarlet would have defended her yada yada yada ya. 

Dave had been the sweet Loompa that confronted her one morning before she was due to get ready for work. He had asked her what was the matter and without any protest, she told him. The little worker quickly took her hand and guided her to the kitchen and told the chef to get her hot coco asap. After a nice hot drink and a thank you to Dave, Taylor left and started her day. However, when it happened again five days in a row, Dave did the same as before but this time told Wonka. Wonka quickly put his foot down and told Taylor to go to Jacques for a session. She tried to protest, but the look in the candyman's eyes told her it was best to do as she was told. If this was meant to help anyone, it did more for Wonka with keeping the girl out of his hair. If Taylor was taken "care" of Scarlet would leave him alone.

"They care. Scarlet really cares, she tried to talk to me about it before the trip, but I didn't want to talk. Then Wonka tried to talk to me, but he sucks as always. But he tried, and I know that when he tries, that means he cares. I just don't feel anything, I don't think there is anything wrong. Maybe there is, and I can't see it. I really don't know." Taylor took a deep breath. This had been bothering her in the back of her mind for a while. But as always she put on a facade of good vibes and ignored it while trying to get back to a normal life. But what was normal when you work for a crazy man and your best friend turns out to be a badass shortie who once tried to kill said crazy man? Taylor rubbed her face and recrossed her ankles once again as she felt her leg going numb. Jacques said nothing as always and doodled in his notebook.

"If they think this will work or whatever I don't mind it. They only want me to be okay, and I respect that, maybe in time I can find the problem and fix it before something else crazy happens." Taylor chuckles but is quickly cut short when an alarm goes off singling that her session was over. Taylor rose from the couch and looked over to the little therapist and smiled, "You are a great listener."

The little therapist smiled and jumped from his seat. He saluted Taylor then hurried over to a secret wall entrance to leave. Taylor kicked her legs over to the side of the couch and sat there for a moment in silence. The hallway seemed bigger than she remembered and felt as if it was going to swallow her up. If it chose to do so, Taylor was sure she wouldn't mind. She was already a product of the factory and what more could it do than to place her in its gloomy brinks.

_Wait_

Taylor shook her head and rubbed the sides of her temple. Where did that all come from? Fuck. Maybe there was something Taylor had to deal with that lingered in the backgrounds. As much as she didn't want it to be there, there was no avoiding it, and it had to be confronted. But for right now, Taylor rather not think about it until her next session. She kicked off the couch and fixed her uniform dress, it was a bit of an upgrade from the old design. Now it had Wonka's insignia on the back in bright gold and frilly fabric lining the armholes and bottom of the dress. It also donned new gold buttons in the front that crossed over her body just like his vest. She still wore a bodysuit under it, but now it was a full body. Wonka told her she couldn't run around in her short playsuit anymore because he didn't want anyone else looking at her. It was childish possessive behaviour, but Taylor couldn't deny that the knowledge of Wonka wanting her all to himself was nice. Taylor caught a quick glance at the metal lining on the walls to check her reflection. She was more herself on the outside than she felt on the inside, and that was good enough.

It was well into the afternoon when she made it onto the elevator and up to Wonka's chambers. Yesterday was his forty-sixth birthday, and the way he chose to spend it reflected how scared he was of getting older and older. Taylor, for the first time, watched Wonka lose himself inside his own mind so severely that she thought it was best to sleep in her own room that night. He was mumbling to himself and tossing back a glass of who knows what every few minutes. Every layer of clothing he wore that day ended up on the floor in the path he paced. Back and forth, he did that for hours just locked inside his mind. Taylor tried to snap him out of it when she called his name. But every time he would just slowly turn his head her way with dead eyes still mumbling incoherent chatter. Then he would giggle and turn away and go back to what he was doing.

Tayor scrunched up her nose as a cold chill ran down her spine. Wonka was truly terrifying in his absent-minded state, like a patient in a crazy house without a straight jacket. She made it to his door and knocked trying to be considerate if he was suffering hungover and nearly dying of a headache. She knocked a few more times then waited and finally the door opened to a very groggy Wonka. He was sloppily dressed in his silk robes, and his hair was all over his head, bags were under his eyes, and a slight shadow was present on his face.

"Afternoon Sir." Taylor smiled and leaned up to kiss him, but Wonka threw up his hand and stopped her halfway.

He shook his head and shooed her away, "I haven't brushed my teeth." He told the girl and opened the door to let her in. Once inside, Taylor quickly set to work counting the bottles stringed along the bedside table and floor. She sighed as she got to seven and crossed her arms, disappointed. "I can feel your eyes in the back on the back of my neck, if you wish to keep them I suggest you lighten up." Wonka said over his shoulder as he stood over his vanity. He was looking for his hangover represent pills. When he found them, he let out a giant sigh of relief and quickly popped three into his mouth.

They melted on the tongue no water needed.

"Getting older isn't bad, you know," Taylor said.

Wonka shuffled over to his closet to find something to wear, "Says you, you turn twenty-one this year."

"But I don't know a lot of things that come with being an adult." Taylor sat down on his bed and watched as he looked through his dress shirts and pants. Wonka didn't believe in casual wear, that was meant for the unsuccessful businessman, he was successful, and he had to let everyone know.

"I thought you didn't know how to do anything." Wonka snorted and Taylor gasped. Wonka looked over his shoulder with a smirk then slipped into the bathroom to ready himself. Taylor rolled her eyes and stayed put on the bed. After a few minutes, Wonka reemerged from the bathroom dressed in his natural stylish throw up of colours. The messy glob of a person he was moments a was long gone and replaced with a renaissance cover-up. Taylor called him beautiful, and Wonka smirked. He had forgotten his gloves he went in, so his hands were bare and looked so soft. Taylor being the best assistant, pulled his gloves from his dresser for him and presented them to him. He held out his hand and she slipped them on one by one. When she was finished with sliding on the left hand, he used it to cup her cheek and shift her gaze upward. He pulled her into a minty kiss she had been waiting for. They didn't pull away until Taylor gripped his hand completely out of breath.

"Good morning Taylor," Wonka whispered against her lips then pulled away to sit down at his vanity to add a few more touches to his appearance. His hair was much longer now, a little bit past his shoulders in loose waves that cupped his face gently. His bangs had parted to the side and he tucked them behind his ears to get them out the way. Neither had said anything when it became noticeable he was skipping his hair cuts. Taylor loved the extra inches, it gave her a reason to play in his hair more when he laid his head on her chest. Some mornings he would wake up with random braids scattered around the top of his head. Every time that happened, Taylor wasn't allowed to leave until they were all out. Wonka purposefully did this so he could have her fingers massage his scalp. Taylor always put more braids than before so they could have those few extra minutes in the morning to themselves.

Wonka rolled the ends of his hair through gloved fingers and frowned, "I'm cutting it today." It was more of a mental note than a debatable idea. Taylor rose from his bed and walked behind him, she ran her fingers through his hair, gently pulling it back into a ponytail. She pulled a few loose hairs out to make a braid then wrapped the braid around the rest of the hair to keep it in place. Wonka handed her a rubberband and she quickly fastened the hair.

"I love your hair no matter if it's a twelve-year-old side part or a forty-year-old hip lesbian. Maybe make the bangs a bit longer this time. No one likes bitch bangs." Taylor chuckled as Wonka quickly snapped around to face her with anger. She couldn't help herself. His bangs indeed were the bane of his existence, whoever told him that was a good idea must have genuinely hated him.

"They are not that bad," Wonka grumbled and narrowed his eyes.

"Sir they are, just make them longer, right on the eyebrow not above. If you are going to keep this style going into your fifties, you need to adjust." Taylor placed a hand on his shoulder and spun him back around to face the mirror. She picked up the comb and parted his hair for his signature bangs. She then took the tip of the comb and rolled the hair around it up to his brows. Wonka turned his head a bit and thought it over before nodding.

"Maybe."

"Yeah?"

"Maybe. For now, let's start our day, and we'll come back to this at five." Wonka took the comb from Taylor and untwisted it, he parted the bangs and tucked them back behind his ears. He reached for his top hat on the hat stand and plopped it on top of his head. Taylor reached for his 'W' brooch and set to work pinning it on his collar. When she finished, she kissed her fingers then placed them on his cheek.

"I'll see you later, Sir."

"Likewise." With that Taylor was out the door and Wonka was right behind her heading the opposite direction.

~~~

Happily ever afters didn't truly exist, did they? Were they real enough for everyone to have, or was it just a concept thought up only for stories? Were fairytales only for children, or were they capable of growing up and maturing? This isn't a complex debate but rather a 'what if' and 'or how'. Was this their happily ever after now that everything was stable? Taylor finally won Wonka's heart, Scarlet was on team Wonka even if it was only for Taylor, and Wonka was slowly but surely warming up to the idea of his brothers coming to visit every month. Was this the relaxing euphoria of the end? No. No, it wasn't. Real life didn't have those types of things, there wasn't an end unless you were buried six feet under and actually dead. Taylor's brain started to back peddle on itself as it dove into its rambling babble of nothing. Fairytales - happy endings - the end were all things that the girl wished were real but knew very well that no matter what, she was going to wake up tomorrow continuing a very human life.

"Miss Taylor!"

"Yeah?" Taylor snapped her head to the side as Scarlet held a clipboard out towards her. Taylor quickly took it and apologized for spacing out.

"Are you okay? You didn't answer the first three times I called you." Scarlet held her own clipboard close to her chest and stood firmly towards the younger girl. Taylor smile and nodded.

"I'm just a bit tired, it's well past my nap time, I just spaced out." Taylor lied through her teeth hoping Scarlet wouldn't push her.

"Did you go to your session this morning?"

"Yeah, but I talked about each and everything, I don't think it's gonna work." Taylor looked over her clipboard checking off things as she looked out into the pool of squirrels.

"I told him you needed to go to a real therapist, I trust the Oompa Loompas know something but you need an actual medical professional." Scarlet walked over to the gate and unlocked it so they could go down to the pit. They made sure to be cautious of the incoming rolling nuts so they didn't slip on them.

"Scarlet I'm not broken." Taylor groaned and rolled her eyes.

"You don't have to be broken to go to therapy, Taylor." Scarlet snapped at Taylor and made the girl flinched. Scarlet quickly realized what she did and sighed, dropping her shoulders and taking a deep breath. "I spent months in a mental house in Wonka's sick game, and I felt like I was crazy even though I knew I wasn't. When I escape, I tried to fix things on my own, but nothing seemed to get me out the fear I felt of waking up back in a patted room strapped to a bed. I was scared of therapy too, I was afraid of telling too much and being sent back. The woman I got was sweet to me, caring, and listened even when I didn't want to be as truthful with her about everything. Eventually, we got to a point where she didn't need to know everything to help me. She just allowed me to do whatever made me comfortable while we talked." Scarlet reached out and grabbed the girl's hand and held it tightly.

Taylor felt terrible, it was a poor choice of words, what she meant was that she didn't want to be pitied and labelled. Being labelled was the last thing she wanted in a world where she was born with labels that didn't go away. Taylor also didn't trust anyone outside the walls to talk to. How would she explain all the things she has done in the past 5 years without racking up a criminal record? This was Wonka's fault, but Taylor was old enough to know she was responsible for being an accomplice. God forbid she tells them she did it all out of love, that was only half true, the other part of that was that she had fun. As scared and heart racing as everything Wonka got into and or out of was fun, and Taylor was far from a thrill junkie. These were memories she could tell people and they would never believe her.

"I'm sorry, I just.."

"It's okay. Look if it gets to the point that you feel more comfortable leaving the factory I'll go with you."

"Promise?" Taylor said warily.

"Always." Scarlet reached up and pulled the taller girl down so she could kiss her forehead. The girls smiled at each other and that made Taylor feel a lot better. "Okay now let's get this work done so we can move on to the next thing. I have a call with Wilfred this afternoon." Scarlet turned back around and started towards a set of squirrels.

"By phone call, you mean phone sex?" Taylor smirked and giggled turning on her heels to go to the opposite side of the room. Scarlet let out a sarcastic 'Oh haha'.

"And what if it is?" Scarlet said.

"Then you should just ask Wonka to let you go to the states to visit him."

"He wouldn't allow it."

"He'll allow anything if I'm between his legs." Taylor knew Scarlet was already looking at the back of her head with disgust, so she turned around and winked.

"I swear!" Scarlet groaned and turned back around to get to work. Taylor said nothing knowing that Scarlet would do everything to block out anything the girl could say. They continued on with work for the rest of the day until the clock rolled around to four. Scarlet walked with Taylor back to the bedroom hallway arms linked and talking about everything. When they made it to Scarlet's door, Taylor let go of the other and playfully bowed for her to open the door.

"I'll tell Wilfred you said hi."

"Tell him I can't wait for him to propose instead." Taylor rose her hand up to Scarlet's eyesight and wiggled her ring finger. Scarlet started to turn red in the cheeks as she quickly looked away, covering her face. Taylor cocked an eyebrow about to admit it was a joke until Scarlet held up a finger telling her to wait. Taylor did as instructed with question and curiosity. When Scarlet came back to the door, she was holding a small black box. Taylor nearly broke out in a scream when she realized what it was. She threw a hand over her mouth and smiled hard as Scarlet looked both ways down the hall.

"When?!" Taylor quickly asked.

"The same day Wonka gave you yours," Scarlet answered. She then opened the box for Taylor to see the ring. It was a simple band with five diamonds but very much beautiful. It shined brightly in the light of the hallway with little effort and Taylor was blown away.

"At least your ring didn't come from a technical marriage." Taylor joked, bringing her hand up to mess with the ring around her finger.

"Nope, just his ex wife," Scarlet said plain as day. Taylor gasped and Scarlet shrugged as it was no biggie. "I met her while in the states, she's the loveliest person I've ever met. She's so kind and understanding and when she saw how happy Wilfred was with me, she told him it was time to finally give the ring back. When they came to the factory after we got back from Korea, he told me he didn't want to wait to ask in case he never had the courage to ever do so again. He is truly hopeless." Scarlet spoke with love in her eyes and passion in her heart. Taylor could feel it and she prayed that Scarlet would have that for the rest of her life. Maybe she and Wonka would too. It was a bit much to ask for, but with Wonka giving her a ring as a sometime perhaps in the future, Taylor had hope.

"Better not let the diva hear about this." Taylor snickered.

"He'll find out when his brother and I are already saying 'I do' in the mountains of Switzerland." Scarlet proudly tossed her hair back and struck a pose. Taylor laughed and bid her a farewell.

~~~

Wonka had informed Taylor he was at his hair appointment and he would be to dinner in his bedroom afterwards. For that time being Taylor set about cleaning up the bottles he left out. Wine, gin, different cocktails all branded with his insignia and named after one of his many lines of candy. Taylor noticed each bottle wasn't completely empty and became curious about their taste. She picked up a fancy tri-colour bottled named after the Everlasting Gobstopper and untwisted the top. Like a young preteen sneaking into their parent's liquor cabinet, she quickly threw the bottle up so the alcohol would fall and her lips could get a taste. 

When it did, she pulled the bottle back down and twisted the cap back on. The taste was very sweet and quickly coated her mouth in different flavours all at once. It went from sour candy to hot and spicy to a cool minty finish. It burned as it ran down her throat and she couldn't stop the sting of coughs that came up as a result. She doubled over holding onto the bed trying to get it all out of her system, but it felt as if it was stuck. Just then, a pair of hands wrapped around her waist and pushed her to stand straight up. Then a hand came up to her chin and pull her head back so her airways would clear. Without a dought, Taylor knew it was Wonka saving her from one of her many silly fiascos.

"Children shouldn't drink." Wonka cocked an eyebrow and took the bottle from her hand along with picking up the other bottles and placing them near the door. "Didn't your mother teach you any better?"

Once Taylor was able to catch her breath and felt her throat was good enough to speak, she muttered our a response, "What your parents don't know won't hurt them." Taylor smirked, but it was wiped off her face as another fit of coughs came barrelling out of her mouth.

"You say that, but then you'll be dead." Wonka knocked on the wall next to his door, and a little worker pushed down the panel. Wonka signed for him to take the bottles away and the little worker set to work on cleaning up. When everything was said and done, and the two were by themself, Taylor finally caught her breath and sat down on the bed. She kicked off her shoes and brought her legs up into a criss-cross. Wonka took off his coat then his hat and placed them on the vanity.

"You made your bangs longer!" Taylor exclaimed happily, knowing that Wonka took her advice really made her feel that they were together.

"Ah yes," Wonka ran a hand over the sides of his hair to smooth it down. As usual, it was cut up to his chin in a slight under curl with the underside completely shaven. This time it seemed to have a bit of volume to it as if he didn't have it completely straighten. "When Guy asked me what I wanted, I thought about it. It does look rather lovely." Wonka faced his mirror and pushed up the ends of his hair. Taylor shook her head and waited for him to continue. "However."

"However?" Taylor tilted her head and moved over a bit so her reflection was in the mirror as well. Wonka caught her eyes and sighed spinning around on his heels. He put his hands on his hip and bit the inside of his cheek.

"I found my first grey hair."

"And?"

"I'm not going to live forever."

"Is this still about you getting old? Hey, your brother Wilfred is hot with his salt and pepper sides, I bet you'll look hot too." Taylor crossed her arms, ready to start this petty little argument.

"You think my brother is attractive?"

"That's not what this is about! Don't change the subject, what's so bad about grey hair?" Wonka plopped down on his bed next to Taylor and twiddled his thumbs.

"It just worries me that there will be no one to take over the factory once I'm gone." Wonka sounded scared. Despite all the things in the world he has done, creating candy and his factory were the loves of his life. If he could live forever, there was no doubt he would continue on in different identities creating sweet treats. Taylor saw the look in his eyes, he was starting to slowly sink back into his mind space and space out. Taylor quickly grabbed his hand, and it brought him back a bit.

"You could always give it to me." Taylor tried to be reassuring, but Wonka broke into laughter and shook his head. He pulled his hand out of hers and held his chest as he continued to laugh.

"Okay I get it," Taylor grumbled, but Wonka continued to laugh. "Okay, got it, you would never give it to me." Wonka still laughed. "William Hagan Wonka I understand you will not give the factory over to me now stop being a little shit head!"

Without missing a beat, Wonka stopped laughing and became overly stoic in the face. His eyes were still wide with laughter, but his lips were tight as if trying to hold it in.

"I love you Taylor, but I would rather burn the factory down before signing it over to you." Wonka leaned in close, which made the girl pull back a bit. He gave her a somewhat eerie smile that told her that he meant his words.

"That's fucking harsh." Taylor flinched forward which caused Wonka to jump back. Taylor narrowed her eyes and shot him the finger which caused he rolled his eyes, choosing to ignore it. "Okay, so what's your solution for when you die? Giving it to Welsey? He did discover the Oompa Loompas before you." Taylor imagined what it would be like if Welsey took over. It wouldn't be much of a candy factory anymore, Welsey would most likely turn it into a zoo.

"I rather burn down the factory," Wonka said blankly.

"Give it To Wilfred if he happens to outlive you?"

"Rather burn down the factory," Wonka repeated himself once more.

"Jesus-okay then what was your big idea, if you have one." Taylor didn't want to sit there and deal with Wonka's bullshit every time she tried to give off ideas. Wonka could play that game by himself all night if he wanted to.

"An heir. I need to find an heir to the factory." Wonka sounded a bit weak from uncertainty as he spoke. Taylor didn't expect that as a solution. If anything that thought of Wonka wanting a child seemed a bit farfetched and completely made up. She knotted her eyebrows and thought it over, Wonka holding a child sounded like a very bad call from CPS. Wonka taking care of a child also sounded like a court case that would surely land him with charges of neglect.

_And why did the baby end up in the taffy puller?_

_Why was no one looking when the baby got on the glass elevator?_

Wait!

Was this Wonka's way of asking Taylor to have kids? Was he really willing to have children with her for the sake of his empire? She would have prefered if he married her first. Taylor has always told Scarlet she rather had kids young and not wait until her thirties or forthy. By that time would Wonka even be able to get it up? Was she even ready for that? Taylor wasn't prepared for a lot of shit, but if it happened, she always tried her best to deal with it.

"S-Sir, I'm down for having kids but don't you think it's a bit early?" Taylor felt her face heat up as she thought about the idea of a family.

"Excuse me?! Oh god no! Taylor, we're not doing that, we are not having copycat little brats. I would never in a million years have a child with you to run this factory and any aspect of my self made inheritance. No offence." Wonka's face twisted into disgust, and he eyed Taylor up and down. For a moment, the girl was happy he didn't mean they were going to have kids, but then she became overly offended when he made it sound like he was disgusted with her.

"What's wrong with having kids with me?" Taylor shot up from the bed and crossed her arms. "If anything who would want to have kids with you?!" Taylor yelled and pointed a finger in Wonka's face. He groaned and knocked her hand away.

"Not what I meant but this is a clear explanation of why. What I meant was we don't need blood related connections tied to this empire. I prefer if it was none related."

"So you're just gonna randomly find a kid to hand this all over to?"

"You keep saying kid, but I ever once mentioned a child." Wonka corrected her coldly.

"So you're gonna get an adult heir?" Taylor questioned.

"That seems a lot more reasonable, children are too much to handle."

"But they are easier to teach, adult tends to be stubborn and change rules that they are not accustomed to like a certain someone," Taylor mumbled the last bit.

"Mumbler!"

"You heard me."

"Even so, why would I pick a child to be my heir?" Wonka stood up from the bed and threw his hands in the air.

"Because the world wouldn't see it coming. You closed your factory down from the public so many years ago. Why not fill the world with the wonder of a child by having a child become the heir." Taylor knew that none of that made sense to her, but the cogs in Wonka's head started turning as it made sense to him. Wonka's face went blank, then a smile appeared across his face.

"Taylor, I think for once you made sense."

"No I didn't, I sounded like a crazy person trying to lure a child into a candy factory." Taylor face palmed in the sheer disappointed that she even gave him the idea.

"Maybe so, but you're right by having a child as my heir it would be a lot easier to train them in my footsteps." Wonka eyes twinkled like stars, and he started to pace. "Then by the time it time for me to go, the child will know how to keep the factory running and the Oompa Loompas safe!"

"So wouldn't it be better to actually _make_ an heir?" Taylor walked in front of Wonka and pulled his arms down to bring his attention towards her. Taylor started to warm up to the idea of having a kid with Wonka. Maybe it wouldn't be that bad, she raised her two brothers, and she used to babysit all the time in high school. She liked kids, and she had methods of calming them down when they got upset. The only downside was that she had a habit of trying to pick up kids even after the age of seven. Taylor had a little too much hope in her being able to take care of a baby that she never once thought about how Wonka would feel.

"Taylor, in your everlasting dreams would _we_ of all people have a child. That is rather impossible." Wonka pulled away from Taylor and went about undoing his brooch on his neck to settle in for the day.

"It's not impossible, you just put your d-"

"Taylor!" Wonka yelled, and Taylor chuckled. "It's impossible because why would you wish to put someone in danger. I want an heir to take over the factory and candy production and live that legacy. I don't want my personal affairs crossing over, I want my candy to stay as fresh and untainted as possible. Besides being a..... _parent_ isn't something I ever want to do." Wonka sighed and crossed his arms over his chest. Taylor understood, but it still hurt to know that a happy little family wasn't present in her future. She always dreamt of a happy little family deep down but to hear that those secret dreams were crushed made her sad. But none the less she respected Wonka and how he felt.

"So how are we going to find this future heir?"

"A contest."

"A contest?"

"With golden tickets." Wonka clapped his hands then wiggled them in the air. Taylor opened her mouth and closed it a few times mildly confused.

"That's a bad idea," Taylor said.

"It's a smart idea, and you know it," Wonka replied.


	2. Six Tickets

When Wonka was set on something, he was determined to do it, and there was no way of getting him to change his mind. There was no way to discourage him that maybe a contest wasn't a good idea, nor was there a way to tell him spying on children and handpicking them like grapes was even worse. Why had Taylor given him that idea? Why did he cling on that? Who knows - well those two knew but neither of them were willing to point fingers at the very moment. None the less when Wonka rolled out of bed two days later, he checked his calendar and his schedule. He was free as a can be but it was a habit he hadn't broken even after the factory closed to the public. He walked from his bedroom to his office, and once he entered, he drew from his desk a set of six darks and turned on his heels to face his fireplace. He reached over on the desk and hit a button that activated the turning panel over the fire to reveal a world map. He looked over the map with eagerness to threw the darts randomly. But first, he needed a little miss beside him to write down each location the darts landed on.

He whistled a funny tune and waited for the patter of feet from behind the wall beside him. The Oompa Loompa greeted him and Wonka told him to go a fetch Taylor from her bedroom and bring her to him. Within five minutes, a very groggy Taylor stumbled through the doors wrapped in a blanket.

"It's five in the fucking morning you limp dick. I don't wake up for another hour and thirty minutes." Taylor didn't even try to mask her annoyance and Wonka was taken back a bit. Taylor was not one to filter herself, but she never was that aggressive with him unless she had to be. Wonka huffed a bit and shook his head, trying his best to let it go.

"It's time to brainstorm."

"It's time for sleep."

"Mumbler!" Wonka shouted, walking past her towards the map. Taylor narrowed her eyes ready to drop her blanket and take out his knees. Instead, she flipped him off behind his back, knowing despite his back being turned, he saw her. "I need you to record every location a dart lands on. That will be the area and location I will scout out children." Wonka rubbed his chin trying to imagine the possible outcome of the darts. Would his throw be a bit more to the right and all the children would from the Middle East to Central Asia? Or would his aim be bias shifting to the left and all the children come from the Americas? Wonka chuckled at the idea that a small child would find his golden ticket. How happy they would be and how excited -it made him excited, he hadn't felt that in a while. The raw, pure joy of a child having a wild dream come true all at the expense a single chocolate bar and a golden ticket.

"This is terrible." Taylor walked over to his desk and sat down in his chair, she grabbed a stray notepad and one of his pens. "You shouldn't handpick kids, let alone spy on them, this is a contest." Taylor pulled her blanket over her head to get more comfortable. Now that she was up, she was too self-aware she wasn't presentable.

"This is a contest for them, not for me, I don't want any random child having control over my factory. Especially my production and brand name." Wonka waved away her words in the air and stepped back a few paces for throwing space.

"If you don't want a random child, I did offer my assistance."

Wonka pulled back his arm and threw the first dart, "And I strongly refuse it." Before the dart landed, Wonka had turned around and crossed his arms to emphasized his point with lowered brows and a raised lip. Taylor felt a jab in her heart, but she couldn't let him see it on her face. She rolled her eyes and motioned for him to move out the way so she could see the map. A robotic male voice then called out the coordinates.

**_North America, United States, Denver, Colorado._ **

Wonka pulled back and threw the next dart without looking.

**_Europe, Western Europe, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany._ **

"Trying to be fair?" Taylor asked him while writing down the location.

"Somewhat." Wonka shrugged.

**_North America, United States, Atlanta, Georgia._ **

"I have family there," Taylor smirked.

"I hope none of them gets it." Wonka playfully mocked her.

**_Europe, United Kingdom, Buckinghamshire, England._ **

"A bit close to home," Taylor said aloud and Wonka hummed in agreeance.

**_North America, Canada, Victoria, British Columbia_.**

"Last one?"

Wonka shook his head and fired the final dart at the map, "One more just to safe."

**_Europe, United Kingdom, Baschulmley, England._ **

"Well look at that you managed to pick your very own city." Taylor wrote down the final location and pushed away from the desk. Still holding onto her blanket, she walked over to Wonka with the note pad and handed it to him. Wonka thanked her and looked over the list once more silently debating on shooting new darts for better places.

"Hey," Taylor called out to grab his attention. "How about we _don't_ handpick all the kids, just the one you really want." Wonka rose a brow in question and waited for her to continue. "Less work in finding all six. We'll just find a child from one of these locations and make sure they are the luckiest kid to be here." Taylor did jazz hands in the air sarcastically, and Wonka hummed. She was right; he really didn't have time to scout out six children and then waste even more time trying to figure out which one should be the winner. He needed to find an heir quick and hurry them into training, so by the time he decides to finally hand over everything they were ready.

"You're right, that's a lot less work and helps narrow down opinions. Great thinking Taylor."

"Whatever." Taylor yawned and pulled the blanket around her as she started for the door. She needed to get herself ready for the day if Wonka insisted on work on this project.

"Taylor before you hurry off," Wonka placed the notebook down on the chair near the fireplace and reached out for the girl. "How was your session a few days ago? I never got to ask." The way he asked sounded so sweet. He cared, and that was enough to make the girl smile and feel a bit more preppy in her step.

"I told Jacques you're keeping me held hostage for a large sum of cash from my family." Wonka gasped then rolled his eyes in disbelief. Taylor thought it was cute and shook her head. "It was fine, I don't know what to talk about just yet, but I guess that comes with time. Scarlet thinks I would go outside the factory."

"No! That just leads to noisy people wanting to get inside. As soon as you say you work for me they'll throw all professionalism out the door and only ask you things about me and what goes on." Wonka hated outside. He hated noisy people and he hated the idea of Taylor of talking to anyone that didn't know him personally. He trusted Taylor to not tell the whole truth but the idea that she might slip up was not a risk he was willing to take. He would do everything to make it suitable for Taylor to be okay but allowing her to go outside for help put paranoia in his head. The press were terrible people. Wonka was no better but at least he kept to himself.

"Well, that isn't up to you, Wonka. If I want to seek outside help, I will, and Scarlet will help me. Lucky for you, I don't fair well with talking to a stranger. So don't worry, no one will know that you're keeping me hostage." Taylor laughed when Wonka face twisted at her words as she teased him. She blew him a kiss before heading out the door and he fanned it away grumbling under his breath.

~~~

"Taylor that was a very terrible idea!"

"I'm well aware, Scarlet!" Taylor shouted from the top of the gummy tree as she chopped a gum gum fruit and threw it down for Scarlet to catch it.

"Why would you give him that idea?"

"I didn't mean to I was trying to be funny and he thought it was a good idea. Now later tonight I have to sit up with him and help him find a kid." Taylor huffed. She chopped another fruit and threw it down. It was hotter than usual in the forset, and sweat rolled from Taylor's forehead as she desperately tried to wipe it away. Scarlet caught the fruit with ease and threw it in the bag, she was lucky to be in the shade of the trees.

"Spying on a kid is inhuman." Scarlet could only imagine the madness Wonka was willing to do to find the "perfect" child. Their name, their age, their family, where they live.

"Yeah I'm aware, that's why I managed to talk him out of spying on all six kids."

"Six?!"

"Yeah, six places, six kids, six golden tickets." Taylor threw another fruit down then used her foot to kicked off of the tree to lower herself on the seat pully. Once on the ground, she was handed a bowl of water by one of the villagers. She signed a thank you and turned toward Scarlet who looked slightly uncomfortable.

"You two couldn't have made a kid, like normal people?" Scarlet tied up the bag at her feet and tossed it over her shoulder.

"When has Wonka ever been normal?"

"True."

"Besides, I offered, and he basically laughed in my face and told me he would never have kids with me."

"He's a piece of shit, but I guess I should be grateful that he doesn't want kids. Imagine him as a father." The girls walked back to the village centre and gave the bag over to the chief. The chief looked inside the bag, and his eyes went big at the quality of the product. He thanked the girls and handed the bag to his men.

"Wonka as a dad would be scary, I'll admit," Taylor whispered to Scarlet. Just then the chief signalled for Taylor's attention. The girl kneeled down to his level and nodded for him to sign.

 _"You are expecting?"_ The chief sighed faster than Taylor understood then placed a hand over the girl's stomach.Taylor had to slow down the translation a bit, but when she figured out what he was saying, she threw up her hands and shook her head.

"No no! Not at all. You heard me?" Taylor felt heavily embarrassed and covered her stomach when the chief pulled away.

 _"We are small, but we have powerful ears."_ The chief meant well, he was like a tribal father to everyone, even to Taylor and Wonka. Whenever either of them came to the village to help out and check up on things. He always asked them about their health and their relationship. Wonka never understood why the little chief cared more than he should, but Taylor did, and she always thanked him for looking out. Wonka needed a positive figure even if it was a minor one, one good father was better than none. Taylor was the same way, but she embraced the chiefs attempts. The only thing Taylor wished the chief would stop asking was when the two of them were going to do the bonding ritual. It was never overly pushy; however, it was enough to get annoying, like an old dad asking how to send a text message.

"Sorry chief, no kids," Taylor said nervously chuckling.

_"That's okay. When the time comes, we all will welcome them."_

"I don't think Wonka would want to be a father. It's not in his taste of things" Taylor shrugged. It was evident to the chief there was a ping of hurt in her words. Little hands reached out and took hers and flipped it over to circle her palm. With one hand the chief signed but he also spoke in his native tongue.

 _"Men who dream of battle never make it to the war. It is the men who never thought of war who conquer and move forward. If times comes for Wonka to walk into war, he will do so with pride and with help. He has already learned to love, he then, will learn to grow."_ The chief then reached for Taylor other hand and placed it on top of the other. He patted it a few times then turned away to walk back to his men hold the bag.

"Please don't have kids with him." Scarlet groaned.

"I'm totally making you the godmother." Taylor patted the blond's shoulder and chuckled. Scarlet playfully shook off her hand, the idea was still weird, but Scarlet knew deep down she would always be there for her friend.

Once out of the village and back into the main parts of the factory, Taylor embraced the metal walls to feel the bitter chill. Scarlet shook her head and pulled the girl along by her arm so they could continue on with their work before Wonka threw a fit that nothing was done. They chose not to take the elevator and just walk to their next stop in the Mixing Room to check on the peanut brittle. To get to the mixers, the girls had to go through a series of hallways and a few rooms. For some odd reason or the next, the mixing room was connected to the cotton candy sheep fields, the production line for the famous Wonka Bars, and under the Juicing Room. While they track through the two rooms, they greeted a few little faces and helped in a few tasks that were asked of them. 

A handful of these taste were tricks and pranks that left the little workers in fits of giggles. Taylor wasn't too fond of them, never had been, but Scarlet loved it. The little men and women always kept Scarlet on her toes with unpredictable mischief. Finally, when Taylor pulled a laughing Scarlet out of the cotton candy field, they walked through a hallway with giant circular windows. Taylor stopped and looked down as she spotted Wonka standing in the middle of endless rows of conveyor belts. She walked closer to see what he was doing as he ghosted over a few bars and randomly touched them. Finally, she saw the reflection of gold paper shinning in the light. Scarlet had stopped walking when she noticed the lack of footsteps and turned back around. She peeked over the other's arm to look down as well.

"I thought you hadn't picked a kid yet," Scarlet asked, noticing the golden tickets being carted away in robotic arms to warp them.

"We haven't even picked a date for the tour."

"Seems like he did."

"Those must be the tickets for the random kids, knowing him his just putting those tickets in and holding the bars until shipping day. He already knows what trucks and planes to hold so the distribution time lines up and the kids can get here. This sounds more like a masterminds plan to take over the world than to find someone to take over the factory." Taylor words stumbled over each other as she watched Wonka hand the last ticket to a worker. He must have told them to put it away until he was ready to package it. Just then he turned on his heels and started to strut away on his cane. He could only take a few steps before he looked up and spotted the girls. Taylor waved, Scarlet didn't, which was to be expected since she didn't care, and Wonka tipped the brim of his top hat before continuing on. Scarlet sighed and shooked her head in the disbelief of this whole thing and grabbed Taylor so they could continue on to the Mixing Room.

Once they've added to their destination Taylor handed Scarlet their much needed work gloves. These gloves are unique, they were cut-resistant gloves which allowed the girls to put their hands close to the blades that mix the product. These gloves were also heat and chill resistant. Wonka mixed his products with very high and low-temperature blades in giant containers that were dangerous for human contact but perfect in getting a particular texture. One touch from a bare hand and you could see the end result of a terrible accident. Or you would fall in, drown, and be chopped up by the spinning blades. Even if Wonka had served human to people before he didn't want that anywhere near his production line now.

Scarlett told Taylor she would check on the peanut brittle and in response, Taylor told her she would check on the other mixers. A few little workers ran around the girls as they went about putting ingredients into different mixers. A few little workers stop and greeted the girl but quickly hurried along the way to do their work. Around them where many different mixers that had piping going into separate rooms. In the middle laid a giant mixer that connected to the chocolate river above. Wonka mixed the chocolate in this enormous container, but it was the river that kept it smooth and rich in flavour. Once the chocolate was mix, it was pumped back up to pour through the waterfall and back down once again in an endless cycle to keep it fresh. Taylor at this point was sure that Wonka only did it for aesthetics, but he would never admit that, and she would continue to tease him for it. She peeked inside the small window that looked into the giant chocolate mixer to make sure everything was flowing nicely.

One little worker signed to her that it was a bit chunky and something went wrong earlier. Taylor had asked if it had been fixed and the worker nodded. They signed that Wonka had actually been through earlier to check on things. Taylor tsked. If Wonka had been there earlier, why did he put it on the list of things for the girls to check on? Surly Wonka did not look over the chores for the girls and just handed it to them that morning without question. Which was very typical since they've been back from Korea. Now it just seemed that Wonka was too occupied with other things to realize his repetitiveness. Taylor thanked the worker then moved over to the jelly mixer. She peeked in and saw it was shut off and the blades were slowing down. She was about to call over for a worker to explain, but she caught sight of Scarlet hands deep in the brittle mixer pulling out chunks of frozen jelly.

"How did the jelly get in the brittle?" Taylor yelled from the platform over to Scarlet. Scarlet took a moment to pull another chuck out and toss it to a group of workers below.

"Someone pulled the lever for the jelly pipe and it shot out over here. Now there are jelly chunks stuck to the first two blades." Scarlet yelled back throwing another chuck to the group below. "I got the first blade clean but the second one is a bit harder. God, I hate the smell of peanut butter." Taylor climbed down the jelly mixer stairs and hurried over to help Scarlet clean the blade. Now they were both hands deep and scraping away jelly bits.

"You think Wonka would let me take an actual vacation?" Scarlet asked breathlessly as she reached deeper into the mixture.

"I can convince him, that shouldn't be much work since you two are bestie." Taylor smiled, and Scarlet snorted at that statement.

"Oh yeah, we're really great mates."

"Truly the best."

"I mean, are you really friends if you haven't tried to kill each other?"

"Surely those are the friendships that last the longest." Taylor and Scarlet both stopped to look at each before bursting out into laughter.

"I'm serious though, I'm thinking of leaving for a bit to visit Wilfred." Scarlet propped herself up on the edge of the container and puffed a strand of loose hair out her face.

"I can arrange it, but it would have to be after this whole thing. I can't have you leaving me to deal with this by myself." Taylor said, joining her on the little break.

"I won't leave any time soon until I know you're okay and this new kid is too. God knows what Wonka would do, the poor kid might die in the chocolate river." Taylor cocked an eyebrow. This factory was a dream for children but very much a death trap by company standards. Everything was either out to kill you or would kill you if you didn't know what you were doing. Some kid ending up a mutation after an unfortunate accident would be the final straw that would have cops and OSHA come knocking at Wonka's door. Unless he already had a plan to clean up his mess.

"Thanks," Taylor said and turned her attention back to the jelly chucks. Within minutes everything was back up and working, and the girls moved on to their last task for the day.

~~~

Dinner was served and like before Wonka took his in his office. Taylor had thought that even after his brother left, he would be more apparent in joining the girls for dinner. But old habit dies hard, and Wonka had spent so much time in isolation. Taylor told Scarlet she would take his to his office so they could get a start on scouting out the last ticket winner.

"Be safe," was all Scarlet could say as she took her plate and went to her own room. Taylor told her she would and hurried along. She managed to open the office door with her foot and paraded in chipper than ever and calling his name. Wonka rose his head from his computer and placed a finger over his lips to shush her. It was well past the hours of Wonka still being overly dressed. He wore his hair back and his signature robes. Taylor was about to tell him off before she heard another voice echo around the room.

"We really appreciate your contribution to our company, mister Wonka. Had we known you were a man of hygiene we would have reached out before!" The voice was male and sounded eager than ever to have the man of candy on the line.

"Well I'm glad you didn't, now if you excuse me, mister Smiley, I have another client waiting patiently for my attention." Wonka didn't wait for the other man to reply before he hung up and closed his computer.

"Dinner." Taylor held up his tray with a smile.

"Wonderful." Wonka motioned her over to place the tray in front of him then for her to come around the desk. Taylor sat on his lap and put her plate next to his. "February 1st will be the date for the winners of the contest to come," Wonka said before filling his mouth.

"That's in two and a half weeks! That's not enough time for anyone to fill their inventory with the chocolates. Let alone a child to find it, Sir you need to push this back." Taylor knew Wonka was in a rush to do things, but this was cutting it very close. They haven't even found the actual winner yet.

"I'm not pushing it back, I've already announced the contest."

"When?" Taylor didn't remember them doing so in the past few days, let alone him telling her he was doing it.

"The night after I came up with up the idea. Taylor you really need to pay attention." Wonka poked her side and Taylor shooed him away."Today I packaged the random bars and they will go out at dawn. But I'm leaving the last ticket up to you." Wonka's hand snacked around to hold Taylor's waist. Taylor stiffened then relaxed a bit as his nails dug slightly into her hip. She's sat on his lap countless of times, but when he held onto her, it always caught her off guard. 

"Why me? thought you wanted to find the perfect heir yourself."

"I trust that if we work together, things will go smoothly. Or am I making a mistake in allowing you to do so?" Wonka sided eyed her and Taylor bit her lip puffing out her cheeks. Taylor was honoured he would leave the task up to her. Teamwork did make a dream work. But when Wonka leaned forward and placed his fork down to prop up his cheek on his fist, Taylor knew there was more than just working together. He looked at her as if he was asking for forgiveness.

"Why are you looking at me like I've kicked you?" Taylor nervously chuckled but quickly stopped when Wonka let out a sharp breath and rolled his eyes.

"I know when I laughed at your offer for a more....natural approach, it hurt your feelings."

"Not like you care." Taylor tried to tease him, but it fell flat when the space around them became overly serious. Wonka took the fork from her hand and placed it down then pulled her in close. Taylor didn't know what to do so she just allowed him to change their position so she was properly facing him. Wonka leaned in and kissed both of the girl's cheeks then her forehead. Taylor let out a shaky breath and felt her shoulder grow heavy.

"I care. But that way of doing things make me...."

"Uncomfortable, yeah I got it, I'm not tryna push nothing on you like the chief."

"Oh god, the chief." Wonka snorted and palmed his face.

"It did hurt my feelings, but I also respect that that's not something you wish to do. I'll just have to blackout the idea on my list of things to do." Taylor giggled.

"You actually wanted to have children with me?" Wonka asked a bit conflicted. Taylor pulled away from him and motioned in the air a few "eh" and "wells".

"I just wanted to fall in love with someone and start a family. If it was to be with you, then I guess it was with you. It wasn't a die heart 'I want kids with William Hagan Wonka' sort of thing. Just love and a family." Taylor couldn't bring herself to look into his eyes. She felt embarrassed letting someone hear how soft and delicate her dreams were. Scarlet was the only one she felt comfortable talking about marriage and family with. Nowadays it felt weird to openly talk about that stuff with anyone without them asking you why you wanting to settle down so early.

Wonka felt his heart skip a few times hearing Taylor being so vulnerable before him. She made her sweet dream sound so pleasant, and for a moment, Wonka wonders what it could be like to have the same dream. Would he even be a good father? His father was terrible. All the men in Wonka's life that ever tried to take something away or were downright cruel were all terrible, terrible people. And Wonka knew he fit right into the mould of being just like them with everything he had done.

Wonka opened his mouth to tell her all the things that could go wrong if they did have children, but he couldn't manage anything other than, "Taylor, it's dangerous."

"I know."

"That's why finding an heir would be a better solution, you could possibly still have your family, and I will have security."

"It's not the same when children already have loving parents." Taylor chuckled and kissed the corner of his mouth. Wonka hummed, gripping her hips and pulling her closer.

"Then tomorrow find a child without those." Wonka closed the space between them with a hungry kiss. The cold food left on the desk was silently carted away by little hands. The fireplace was also lit and the lights somehow lowered without Wonka toggling with the diel. Taylor noticed but ignored it as Wonka pulled her down and against him to distract her. Hopefully, the little noises in the wall weren't excepting anything to come out of this one cosy night. Their dreams weren't coming true any time soon. 


	3. One Two...Three

Taylor walked down the hallway with great speed as if her feet burned with the fires of hell. She had awaken at around ten and found herself in Wonka bed and a note telling her he would see her in the afternoon. But it was when she went back to her room she found another note from Scarlet asking her to come to the shipment dock as soon as possible, there was a problem. Taylor knew better than to keep a problem waiting and hurried to get dress. This didn't have to get to Wonka if she could fix it beforehand. When she finally made it to the shipping department, Scarlet ran over and placed a tablet in her hands. Taylor took it but looked at the three large screens that hung over all the docks that lead out to the courtyard. The display in the middle was a world map with dots indicating tracking of all the shipments. On the left had serial numbers and name of every product being shipped out that fliped cards every few seconds to update. On the right was pending carts on if a ticket had been found. So far, only two tickets in Europe had been placed and ready to be found. The tickets that headed towards North America were still in route. And the last ticket Taylor was meant to plant was still being held at the factory.

"One of the shipments with the ticket has gone missing." Scarlet tried to sound calm, but her words were every bit of distressed. Taylor looked over the tracking coordinates for all the standard trucks and planes than the one with the tickets. One vehicle was completely decommissioned, and the status next to the serial number said pending. Taylor tapped on the truck in question and saw it was the one for Canada. It had made it to North American and even into Canadian territory. Still, it never made it to the British Columbia province.

"When did Kyle notice the issue?" Taylor pointed over her back towards a backroom with a little worker working the tracking numbers.

"This morning, said that everything was going smoothly until he couldn't get hold of the driver at nine our time. I got here only a few minutes after that and stopped them from going to Wonka." Scarlet sighed and shook her head. One of the few things Taylor could appreciate about Scarlet working for her was that even if she and Wonka fought, Scarlet took her work seriously. Right now, Scarlet looked like a worried manager who was trying to figure something out before corporate found out.

"Okay well don't worry about the ticket, worry about getting the crew on the truck back. The world doesn't need to know about Oompa Loompas right now." Taylor didn't look up from the tablet as she typed in a search and find request and an order to not tell Wonka was going on. "Thankfully, that wasn't the truck for the real winner so if the ticket ends up somehow still on a shelf, some kid got really lucky." Taylor handed Scarlet back the tablet and with a weak smile. Just then, a loud pinging sound came from above, and the girls turned around to look up. On the right screen, the first ticket had been found. The screen in the middle updated and a 'w' formed over the upper corner of Germany.

"Wow, that was fast," Taylor said. Another sound came in as a beep and gathered everyone attention.

"Girl's TV room please," Wonka called over the intercom, it sounded disgusting and very uneasy as if he found out Scarlet and his brother did something in one of his rooms. With a call of the flying elevator and one intoxicating trip later the girls came stumbling towards the TV room door. Taylor found her personal goggles and switch them out with her glasses then handed Scarlet a pair. With a push of the door a bright and a blinding light came pouring out and onto the girls. A few workers greeted the girls as they walked up the platform to the single pushchair that looked towards a large screen. News from Germany was flashing across the screen and showing the winner of the ticket. Augustus Gloop.

"That kid is going to eat the whole damn factory," Wonka grumbled under his breath. Taylor heard him and tried to repress her laughter but it came out anyway and Scarlet smirked a bit.

"Wasn't expecting a fat kid?" Scarlet asked.

"Not at all," if Wonka didn't have on his goggles Taylor was sure she would have seen him facepalm at the horror of seeing the first winner. "I forgot children like this exist."

"How? They're your biggest fans." Taylor said, moving from behind the chair to sit on the arm. Wonka looked over at her, even with his goggles, she could tell the unamused expression he gave her was strong. "Besides not every kid that wins the ticket will be greedy like this one. I sure the others will be normal everyday kids whose parents cleaned their faces before they get in front of a camera."

Wonka huffed and rose the remove to the screen to turn it off, "They better be." He rose from the chair, grabbing his cane and walked out fo the room.

~~~

"The second golden ticket has been found in Buckinghamshire by the daughter of the famous Salt family!" The news reporter yelled from the tv. Taylor had just walked into Wonka bedroom with his dinner when she heard the announcement. The candymaker was nowhere in sight. She walked over to his bed to place his food down but to also get a better look at the child on the screen.

"I know her father and all he does is spoil that brat. She's just like her grandfather, Roman. Wanting everything but was never deserving." Wonka emerged from his bathroom pushing his hair back with a headband. He kissed Taylor forehead then got into bed. He patted the space next to him for her to take.

"You know the family?" Taylor asked. She kicked off her shoes and crawled in beside him, still watching the tv.

"Not personally but her grandfather was a pain to deal the few times I met him. He was one of my father's patient before that all happened." Wonka mumbled the last bit and shifted a bit at the mention of his father. "He is nothing but a pushover." Wonka perk up and pointed towards the young girl's father that was now on the screen. "If a child can walk all over you, you have no right to be anything but a loser."

"Isn't that a bit harsh to say?" Taylor cocked an eyebrow at how aggressive Wonka shortly became. This whole tour thing was slowly starting to become a shit show and none fo the kids were there yet. But she could tell that Wonka was slowly beginning to regret opening his factory back up to people.

"Nothing is harsh when it's true." Wonka reached for the drink on the tray and took a sip from it. Taylor wanted to tell him that this was all going to be his fault if nothing went to plan, but she bit her tongue and looked away. A fight was not what she was looking for. If there was peace in the silence that formed, then she would keep it that way. Irritable Wonka only leads to tantrum Wonka, which leads to Taylor wanting to choke him out. "Have you found the winner yet?" Wonka broke the silence before Taylor's mind could think of all the many different ways she could smother him with a pillow.

"I haven't been out yet."

"Hmm."

"When the third winner is found I'll get to work on finding the winner."

"Why would you wait till then?"

"Because whoever it's going to be must feel like they just won the world, dumbie" Taylor rolled her eyes and leaned in to wrap her arms around his. Wonka shook his head and reached for his fork to began eating. He shared a few bites with Taylor as they continued to watch and judge the Salt family still being interviewed.

~~~

"Taylor...."

"Taylor.....wake up...."

"Cev!"

Taylor shot up in bed and grabbed the covers to cover herself. There wasn't really a reason considering she went back to her room last night and actually slept with clothes on. But it was out of habit from the few times Wonka barged in while she was topless. Taylor took a moment to gather herself before reaching for her glasses and finally noticing Scarlet standing beside her.

"Scarlet?"

"Morning, we found the truck." Scarlet pushes Taylor over a bit to get in the bed with her then hands her the tablet. Taylor had to blink a couple of times from how bright the screen was until her vision adjusted and she could read what was in front of her. "The truck was found in Fairbanks, Alaska."

"Alaska?! The hell was it doing in Alaska? There was already a shipment going there. What about the crew?"

"They haven't been recovered yet, but it seems they may be alright since the tracker was turned back on. Kyle has already sent out a team." Scarlet held a hand over her chest, optimistic that the little workers were okay.

"So we're dealing with a highjacking?" Taylor poked around the tablet trying to see where in Fairbanks the truck was.

"It seems likely, but why would you take the whole truck to Alaska? Why not leave it in Canada?" Scarlet pondered but couldn't come up with a reason why anyone would take the trouble to move a truck so far away. Unless. Scarlet eyes went wide, she looked towards Taylor and the other already knew what she was thinking.

"Not a chance in the world that crew is dead. Every Oompa Loompa that goes out these gates are trained not only in fighting but also naturally trained to stay out of sight no matter what. I refuse to believe that." Taylor narrowed her eyes and looked back at the map on the screen. "They weren't disposing of bodies, this was trying to get the truck to a closer checkpoint."

"But to where?" Scarlet looked over the tablet with the Taylor and Taylor shook her head.

"I have no idea, but I have a bad feeling this might have something to do with someone stalking the North American routes. I'll have to tell Wonka."

"Is that a good idea?"

"No, no it isn't, but he'll be even more upset when he finds out if I don't." Taylor rubbed her forehead then handed Scarlet back the tablet. Scarlet let out a heavy sigh then turned away.

"So what's on the plate of things to do today?" Scarlet asked.

"I have no idea, Wonka hasn't called any of us yet and-"

"Girl's TV room please," Taylor grumbled and dove back under the covers as Wonka's voice came through the walls.

"Why does he have an intercom in your room?" Scarlet looked towards the ceiling, trying to find the speaker, but there wasn't one.

"I used to sleep in a lot."

"And he never took it out?"

"He eventually stopped using it, even I forgot about it. Come on, let's get going." Taylor didn't even bother getting dressed.

"The third winner of Willy Wonka's golden ticket is Violet Beauregarde." the camera panned over to a woman and her mini-me daughter both donning matching tracksuits.

"I know that woman." Wonka and Scarlet said at the same time. They looked at each other for a moment then turned away.

"Clear to explain? Either of you?" Taylor crossed her arms and waited for the awkwardness to lighten up a bit. Scarlet rubbed her neck and turned away even more, and Wonka crossed his legs and bit his bottom lip.

"I killed her husband," Scarlet spoke first then quickly covered her mouth.

"I slept with her and her husband." Wonka ran through his words as soon as Scarlet finish. Taylor gasped then looked towards the screen then back at him. Wonka pretended to not notice Taylor's gaping mouth and instead turned towards Scarlet placing a hand over his mouth. "You killed Samuel?!" Wonka opened and close his mouth a few times to seem even more in shock.

"You cucked him," Scarlet responded coldly.

"Did not."

"Did too."

"Did not!"

"Oh yeah? Did your dick magically end up inside of her?"

"No!" Wonka shot up straight and gritted his teeth at the blonde.

"Oh, my bad was your dick inside of him?"

"Bold of you to assume Wonka tops." Taylor silenced the augment quickly, which earned her hard snap of the neck from Wonka. Scarlet giggled at how speechless Wonka became. Taylor didn't have to actually know she was right to know she was right. Wonka sat in his anger and annoyance and kept his mouth closed. The girls let out the rest of their teasing then turned back to the tv. The woman on the screen was now showing off her trophies; which didn't come close to the numbers of rewards her daughter got.

"She's so full of herself like always, she was like that when she broke her foot on her floor routine. She projecting into her child." Wonka said then quickly turned off the tv.

"How much of the woman do you know?" Taylor's nose scrunched up, unsure if she actually wanted to know or not.

"About seven years. I introduced her to her husband on accident. Ha!" Wonka chuckled then rose from his chair.

"You're a very weird homewrecker," Scarlet said and shook her head, she was first to turn on her heels and walk out of the room leaving the others by themselves. Taylor watched her leave then turned back to Wonka who seemed unsure of what to do now.

"I'm going out, so I'll be gone most of the day, I'll keep you updated on if I find a winner." Taylor threw her hands over her head to stretch. Wonka nodded and they soon parted ways. Wonka stayed in place as the door to the TV closed behind Taylor. The room was completely empty now and he was alone with his thoughts. Everything seemed like it was a shitty reality show and Wonka was being pranked. Really? Scarlett Beauregarde of all people's daughter found his ticket? The world was not that small and Wonka was aware of that. He gripped the handle of his cane tightly as he told himself he should have redrawn the darts and tried again. As his thoughts started to become louder, he turned on heels back towards the tv. His reflection looked so small, and he hated it, he hated feeling short.

"Shit," Wonka said out loud letting the sound bounce off the clean white walls. A faint chatter of feet and giggles soon caught his attention and Wonka looked towards the machines in the room. He closed his eyes and sighed a panting chuckle before heading out of the room himself.

~~~

Bitter chills and the obnoxious winter winds swept under Taylor's coat and made her shiver. Why had she thought to go out personally and look for a winner? Why didn't she just have a truck deliver to a random candy store and just try her luck? Ugh! Because she wanted to stay faithful to her word and do her part like she was given. Sometimes it sucked ass to be loyal however if it meant making the factory better she was game. The next round of questions she asked herself was why she didn't wear her other uniform that came with pants instead of her dress.

As she walked down the sidewalk, she looked in at the new line of winter clothes that were placed on display. Some of the were rather cute while most of it boring and are marketed to boring people. She came across a shop selling coats, and she became fascinated by a cloak that hung from a headless mannequin. It was green and had specks of shimmer in the threads that made it look like something out of a fairytale. It had fur lining the inside to help shield its wearer from the winter abuse, and it even came with a hood. It ran to the floor in pools of fabric like a wedding dress.

Taylor moved closer to the glass and tried to imagine what it would look like to wear it. She would undoubtedly parade around the factory like a mistress of the night, grabbing the ends and throwing them behind her like a dandy vampire. Wonka would find it annoying, but maybe he would join in on her childish fun. Perhaps he too would have a cape or cloak made and wear it in his everyday wear. A vampire that loved candy more than anything or maybe even an immortal being. He already dressed like he forgotten how to age years ago so a cloak would be the cherry on top. Taylor needed that cloak more than anything now. That would be her gift to herself after events of the past year. She quickly huddled into the shop and bought the display. When she heard the price, she could already hear Wonka screaming at the top of his lung at her for wasting his money, and it fueled her even more. She walked out of the shop wearing the cloak and her other coat in the bag. She spun around a couple of times just to enjoy the flow of it. A few more spins and the girl had become dizzy and a laughing mess. 

Passerbys looked at her but kept their words to themselves as it seemed she was only having fun in the snow. Taylor had to stand still so her eyes could focus and calm down so she could continue to walk. She stumbled forward a bit more but quickly found her footing. In the distance, she could hear a young voice yelling something. She looked through the crowd of people and saw a boy wrapped in worn clothing waving a newspaper in the air. As she got closer, she recognized the young boy as the one she met months ago at the candy store. As she got closer, she noticed the stack of endless newspapers and the small tin cup at the child's feet. He was trying to sell newspapers but as the people passed no one showed any interest. With each step closer to the other, she tried to remember his name. She was aware it started with a 'c', but she couldn't make out the rest. Before she knew it, she was standing in front of the boy still trying to figure it out.

"Ma'am, would you like to buy a paper?" The sweet voice called out, and Taylor turned and smiled.

"Charlie Bucket!" Taylor clapped her hands together and the boy's eyes lit up. "You're the little kid I bought the candy for, what are you doing out here?" For a moment Charlie had to think about what she was saying, but when it came back to him, he lit up like a Christmas tree.

"You're the woman that works for Willy Wonka!" Charlie's voice rose in excitement, but Tylor quickly shushed him so no one around them would hear him. He immediately placed a hand over his mouth and apologized.

"My father's job was snowed in from the storm last week, and we have no money. I thought I could help and sell these papers to feed my family ma'am." Charlie fits gripped onto the paper in his hand, and he looked down a bit. Taylor felt her heart drop and she placed her bag down and reached into her dress pocket. She always carried cash on her in case she didn't have Wonka's card on her. But also in case she didn't want to leave a paper trail. She unrolled the money and plucked a two hundred euro note from the stack and handed them to him. Charlie nearly fell over when he saw the money and quickly threw his hands up to refuse it.

"I can't ma'am, you didn't buy any papers." Charlie shook his head and pulled his hands back so he wouldn't be tempted to take the money.

"Then I'll take one." Taylor tried to give him the money again, but Charlie shook his head and refused once again.

"You didn't buy that many papers. They're only fifty-cent each." The boy big bright eyes stared into Taylor soul, and she knew that he was a little too humble. Anyone else would have taken the money and ran, but this little boy would instead make honest work then be given the goodies for free. Children weren't meant to worry about their next meal. Nor were they supposed to help around the house moneywise but here young Charlie was more of a man than most men and he was no more than ten from what Taylor could guess. It made her smile, and she nodded and put the money away and instead pulled out two quarters and placed them in Charlie's cup. The young boy handed her the paper, and she stuffed it her bag.

"Is it true that mister Wonka is allowing people into his factory?" Charlie leaned in closer and whispered.

"Yep, he feels that it only right to allow the public back into his life." Taylor lied through her teeth, but the young boy didn't need the truth, that was none of his business.

"My grandpa Joe used to work from him when he was younger."

"He did?"

"When Mister Wonka owned the cherry street candy store over there." Charlie pointed behind Taylor to a street corner shop that was now a dry cleaners. That was so many years ago that Taylor would be amazed if Charlie's grandpa was still alive. "He still talks about working for Mister Wonka all these years later." Charlie seemed rather proud to tell Taylor that and that made her worry a bit. Did Wonka also sleep with this kid's grandfather? She fucking hoped not.

"It would be amazing if I ever won that ticket, but I know that would never happen." The sadness in Charlie's voice caught Taylor's ears, and she turned back towards the boy. He frowned for a bit but then closed his eyes and counted to five. A small smile then appeared, and he rose his head again. "But congratulations to anyone that did, you can't be sad you didn't get something you have to keep moving on."

"You're a very humble child Charlie Bucket," Taylor said. The wind had picked up and made both of them shiver, Taylor wrapped more of her new cloak around her, but Charlie suffered more as his worn-out clothes didn't help much. Taylor reached into her bag and pulled out her coat. It was a bit girly, but it was a lot better than letting the kid freeze to death. She quickly threw the coat around the boy and pulled it tight around him.

"Thank you but I can't-"

"Hush kid, I refuse to let you die out here because you want to be helpful. Now go home and don't worry about eating tonight." Taylor patted the coat pocket then patted the kid's head before grabbing her bag, waving goodbye and walking away. "I'll see you tomorrow, Charlie Bucket."

"How do you know that?"

"Because good kids like you always show up." Taylor giggled and walked away back into the crowd of people walking by. Charlie didn't know what to say as he watched her blend in and disappeared. Charlie shivered again and wrapped his arms around his body. The coat was really warm and smelled sweet. He remembered the woman telling him not to worry about eating and checked the pockets. When he stuck his hand in the left pocket, he felt paper and pull it out the large euro note and felt his cheeks warm with the excitement of running home to tell his family. He wanted to thank the woman, but he remembers she was gone. Charlie Bucket smiled but felt bad on the inside. He didn't even remember her name. 


	4. Four and Only Five

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll fix this up later

** January 30th **

Little Charlie Bucket was eleven years old for only two more days. Though the celebration of his birthday was never much, he still held it dear to his heart. Every year the morning of his mother would kiss his forehead the number of years he has been alive, plus one extra for good luck. His father would help him find materials for his sculptor, and his grandparents would sit him down and tell him stories from their days. Sometimes when the stars shined the brightest, his mother would manage to get things to make a cake. Those were the years he would cherish the most in the core of his heart. He didn't get many sweets, nor did he complain about it, but when he did, it felt like the world could be at peace for the rest of the day. As he thought about the smell of fresh cake and the taste warm vanilla, he forgot he was standing in the snow. When the wind whipped across his face, he stumbled back and tipped off the curb causing all the newspapers at his feet to scatter. He hurried to pick them up so they wouldn't fly away. He had to sell them so his family could have extra money for the next coming days.

As Charlie little hands hurried to grab one of the papers that flew into the street, a hand reached out and pulled him back. Charlie had no idea what was going on, but the fear of nearly being struck by a car bellied in his stomach as a large truck came zooming passed his eyes. 

"Charlie Bucket what in god's name do you think you are doing?!" Taylor's voice was strained with worry and fear, and Charlie felt embarrassed for causing it. He helped the boy to his feet and back onto the curb. She dusted off some of the snow from his coat and face then pulled away to cross her arms and silently scold him. "I understand you wish to be helpful but don't go about getting yourself killed. You didn't hear the truck's horn?"

"No ma'am." Charlie hung his head, he wasn't a bad kid, was the easiest he always thought, but when he did get in trouble, he felt like it was the worse thing in the world. Taylor wasn't used to a kid actually feeling sorry, her brothers never were, this made her feel like she did something. 

"I-It's okay, pick your head up, just be careful next time I really don't want to be the one to tell your parents something happened." Taylor reached out and ruffled his hair then smoothed it. 

"Yes ma'am." Charlie sadness was gone as quick as it came, and he was back to his happy little ball of sunshine. For the past week or so Taylor had been coming back to the same spot she met Charlie to keep him company. Sometimes she would convince him to go for a cup of hot chocolate at the local coffee shop, just to get him out of the snow. Charlie always happily went along and would be in awe when she got him a medium cup. She had asked him before why he trusted her so quickly out of curiosity. Was it just an English thing? Charlie promptly told her it wasn't and that she was easy to read. He meant well but when he said that all she could hear was Wonka saying the same thing. Was she really wearing her heart on her sleeve? None the less, Charlie was happy to have the girl around; he secretly loved how she would buy him things as well. At first, Charlie's mother told him to return the girl's coat and thank her for the money. He did, and Taylor went ahead and bought him his very own. The night he came home with a brand new green coat, his mother was worried and unsure if Charlie should be allowed to go back outside by himself. It was his grandpa that calmed her nerves and told her that miracles always comes and go.  _ 'There are still a few good people in this world, dear'. _

"So Charlie, besides nearly being rain over, how are you this fine winter afternoon?" Taylor smiled and asked the beaming boy.

"I'm good! My birthday is in two days! And even though I know we don't have much, I want to be able to have a good dinner with my family." Charlie clasps his hands in front of himself as if he was making a wish and Taylor melted. This kid had it rough, and yet he made do with what he had and never complain. Family, from all their conversations, was very important to him, he would do anything to make his family happy. Taylor once had the same morals, but when she moved away, she became more focused on herself. Then there was Wonka who hated the idea of a family once upon a time and somehow ended up making his own small family with those he allowed into the factory. He once barred his brother's from entering, but now if they said they were paying a visit, he would only roll his eyes and grumble.

"Happy early birthday Mister Bucket, how old will you be twenty-one?" Taylor poked at his cheek and Charlie puff them out before stand straight and puffing out his chest as best as he could.

Everyday Taylor met up with Charlie she found new and exciting things about the kid that made her time with him even better. He was funny and could come up with a snappy remark quicker than she could. When he asked questions about Wonka, she told him (the sugar coated version of course) and watched as his eyes grew bigger and bigger. He idolized Wonka without truly knowing him. He had told Taylor of his mini factory of toothpaste caps and Taylor it adorable. There was more to Charlie.

"I'll be the ripe ol' age of twelve." Charlie couldn't hold in his breath as much and quickly fell into a fit of laughter. Taylor joined him and shook her head at his adorableness. "Thank you, Miss Taylor." Charlie bowed his head then gave Taylor his biggest bucktooth smile.

"Well, Charlie, what do you want for your birthday?" The poor boy nearly blushed as Taylor asked him such a simple question. He couldn't just ask a stranger for a gift, let alone ask for something that would be nearly impossible. Even though he knew she worked for the man, he idolized he didn't want to ask something out of pocket. Charlie knew what he wanted. Deep down, he wanted it so bad. But that would be selfish to ask her to do that. He rather never asks than if he did and she tell him no or even worse get upset that he would think such a thing was possible. Taylor could see the light leaving the boys eyes slowly as he lowered his head again. It was the same face Wonka made when he became lost in his thoughts and spaced out. Every day there was something more the Charlie.

"Charlie?" Taylor called out, but he didn't answer, she then stuck out a hand and placed in on his cheek to move his head back up. "Charlie Bucket what's the matter?"

"Nothing ma'am, I just don't know what to ask for, the last time I got a gift was a while ago." Charlie lied, but it was better this way.

"Charlie," Taylor called out again weakly from the sudden heavy filling in her heart. "What is the one thing you want most in the world? Even if it's impossible to get, what is it?"

Charlie stumbled his words as he tried to gather himself, "I want to meet Mister Wonka." Taylor couldn't stop the smile that formed on her lips. Nor could she hide the bubbling feeling that danced at her feet and up to her fingertips. But she had to keep herself at bay just long enough to set up a plan.

"Well, Mister Bucket that is rather impossible. I would gladly hand you a ticket for this willy nilly contest, but I don't control that aspect of the factory." Charlie nodded slowly feeling the weight on his shoulder, sink him further into the snow. Taylor wanted to tell him she was lying and that he was going to become the luckiest kid ever, but god knows Wonka would have her head. "However," when the words left her lips, Charlie perked up. "If these things go correctly Wonka might just open his gate and allow anyone in. I have a feeling you're going to be the first one in. You seem rather lucky little Bucket." Charlie could only imagine the joy and amazement he would feel if he got the chance to meet mister Wonka. All the stories his grandfather had told him about how amazing and brilliant Wonka was could finally be in his face, front and centred. 

"Do you really think so Miss Taylor?" Charlie was breathless with excitement.

"Charlie, I know so." Taylor leaned in and kissed the boy's forehead but quickly pulled away when she realized what she had done. "I'm sorry." She quickly covered her mouth, embarrassed that her motherly instincts overtook her. Charlie touched his forehead and smiled.

"It's alright, mum says I have a face everyone wants to kiss." Taylor calmed down but still felt heavy. Charlie was amazing. She wishes one day she would have a son just like him. Full of joy, witty, kind, patient, and willing to smile even when the days were bad.

"Alright my dear boy, I have to get back to work, Wonka doesn't like tardiness. I've learned my lesson from the past." Taylor rolled her eyes and thumbed back towards the factory.

"Alright, will I see you again?"

"Yes, very soon, I won't be out tomorrow, of course, the contest is close, but after that, you'll see me much more than ever." Charlie wanted to ask her what she meant by that, but he left it alone as she waved him goodbye and walked away. As she got further and further away, he looked back towards the factory and saw someone standing in a window from the tallest tower. He knew it had to be Willy Wonka himself watching Taylor walking back. Charlie wondered what Taylor's relationship with Wonka was like. Surely if she worked from him, they must be the greatest friends.

Charlie had forgotten all about the bitter cold around him. The cold feeling couldn't reach the warmth inside his heart that told him that his dreams would one day be possible. Charlie had no idea there was something about him that made him special. Charlie had no idea he was a winner.

~~~

Taylor had made it back to the factory and only managed to get through the door before Kyle from the shipping department came running towards her. She dropped her coat to the floor along with her scarf and kneeled down to him.

_ "We found the crew, we also found the ticket. Wonka has been made aware." _ The little worker signed, and Taylor was quick on her feet to hurry to the room. She hadn't even got to the elevator before she heard the rush of little feet moving past her heading towards different departments. Some chatting amongst themselves in their high pitched voices. Even though Taylor couldn't understand them, she knew they were all scared. 

** Wonka was upset. **

Taylor stepped off the elevator cautiously as she heard Wonka through the door. He wasn't yelling, but he sounded like he wanted to. Taylor pushed open the door and found Wonka standing in the middle of the docks sounding off commands from a mic. Scarlet was standing beside him, ignoring the chatter as best as she could as she looked towards the screens above. Wonka caught sight of Taylor quickly and pointed towards her.

"You knew about this and didn't tell me?!" Wonka's voice rose and cracked, which caused Scarlet to turn around.

"I didn't think it was a big issue," Taylor yelled back trying to get through the rushing crowd of Oompa Loompas.

"My workers were ambushed!" Wonka threw the mic from his hands and marched towards Taylor like a bull.

"I know but the tracker-"

"They were hurt!"

"They were?"

"My truck ended up 1,035 miles away from its destination, and you didn't bother to tell me?!" Wonka face was red, and his eyes were burning. Taylor held her breath and stiffen up, ready for him to blow his head. "You think something like this is an easy cover up? An easy fix? No one should know about the Oompa Loompas, and yet here we are with a missing truck and missing crew. Only to find them half alive and nearly freezing to death!" She knew how much he cared for the Oompa Loompas. "All because you thought you could fix this!" Wonka was only a few steps away from her but before he could get any closer Scarlet ad jumped between them ready to take him down. Wonka stumbled back and fell on his ass.

"You get any closer, and I promise you your temper will be the last thing she'll have to worry about." Scarlet stepped towards him, which caused him to jump back. Then little red beans shot from the walls and onto Scarlet. No surprise that if Wonka was in trouble inside his own factory, there would be defence waiting to protect him. Scarlet looked down and saw the dots ghosting over her body, and she shot him a look.

Wonka rose to his feet and dusted himself off before holding up a hand and twirling his wrist, "It's alright." he called out, and the beams went away. Scarlet didn't stand back still ready to take him if she had too. She was well aware his left leg was still weak. Wonka took a few deep breathes and looked around Scarlet towards a doe-eyed Taylor. He would never hit Taylor even if he was upset with her. Everyone knew that, but it was in nature, he would have still given her an ear full.

"I'm sorry, I'm just stressed out, they were hurt and..." Wonka wasn't good at apologizes nor explaining himself.

"They're family," Taylor said, stepping from around Scarlet. The older woman finally dropped her guard and crossed her arms. "Family is important, and you just wanted them to be safe. I figured we could fix it beforehand." Taylor shrugged.

"I understand." Wonka looked away then towards the workers who had stopped to see what was going on. He turned back to Taylor and bit the inside of his cheek. "I'm really sorry." He whispered.

"You're right mumblers do suck." Taylor pushed past him and up towards the displays screen. Wonka knew she accepted his apology, but he would honestly have to make it up to her later. He knew how much she hated being yelled at. Without missing another beat, Wonka turned around and walked to stand beside her. Scarlet followed after and stood on the other side, still eyeing Wonka down.

"How's the crew?" Taylor asked.

"Stable. They were freezing, minor injuries, but you know they can't handle the cold." Wonka spoke up and handed Taylor the tablet Scarlet once had.

"Do we know where the ticket was?"

"Russia," Scarlet called out and pointed towards the middle screen with the world map. A giant red 'x' over the country of Russia. "It was an ambush."

"Set up by Mara Piker, a mob boss who hides behind a facade of a school administrator." Wonka took the tablet from Taylor and tapped it a few times. A picture of a beautiful icy blonde hair hazel-eyed woman flashed upon the middle screen. "She's not Russian, her husband is, she's Estonian who smuggled her way out of that soviet country to the next." Wonka then brought up another picture of Mara and her family, who didn't look too pleased to have their photo taken. A big round man who looked like an angry Teddy Roosevelt in a navy suit stood beside her. He held a cigar in one hand and his other laid on the shoulder of the young girl in front of him. Their daughter looked even meaner as she looked the part of a militarized youth. Dirty blonde locks braided tightly into two twin braids, the front where her bangs hung were the same icy blonde as her mothers. Her eyes were blue like her fathers and shinned even more menacing than his. The young girl wore big round glasses and a boring green uniform.

"Why do they look so upset?" Scarlet asked.

"Mara is as cold as it gets and Maks isn't any better. They're not the nicest people to be around either, they always have something to complain about. It could be the way a system is set up to the way you curl your hair." Wonka snarled as he reached up and pushed up his hair a bit. "They don't believe in fun, and it rubbed off on their daughter, Miranda." 

"Then why would they want the ticket?" Taylor didn't want to know how Wonka knew them, nor did she care.

"I have my thoughts they wish to speak with me, but I sure don't want to speak with them." Wonka tabbed on the tablet, and the country map returned with a menu beside it. Wonka clicked on the tracking route of the ticket and then picked an opinion that said 'forge.' "There is no way they are coming to my factory." Wonka placed the tablet down and let out a sigh. He then turned towards Scarlet to say something but the girl was already turning away. He didn't stop her and just allowed her to leave. He would speak with her later.

"Scarlet wants to visit Wilfred after this," Taylor said aloud once the blonde was gone.

"Not when we have to deal with this," Wonka motioned for the map and Taylor sighed. "This is important, we need to figure out why the Piker's are trying to get to me. I haven't spoken to them in years."

" _ We  _ can handle that."

"You aren't doing no such thing, you have to be a good girl and do as you're told from mother dearest." Wonka meant Scarlet, and he meant Taylor staying out of trouble. Taylor groaned and wanted to tell him off saying she was fine and that nothing else in her life could knock her down a peg. They were really pushing this whole trama thing onto her like she was actually suffering to stay afloat.

"Scarlet will go on vacation and you will deal with it. You've dealt with things before her and you can do it now." Taylor's voice was stern, she meant what she said, and Wonka cocked an eyebrow at her newly found determination of order. 

"You don't get a say so," Wonka grumbled.

"She doesn't work for you." Taylor was right. Wonka didn't hire Scarlet, Taylor did, Wonka was only the face of the employment. Taylor was going to have her way; rather, he liked it or not. Wonka could only fight one battle at a time, and Taylor wasn't one of them. 

"Fine but not till after this is dealt with." Wonka dropped his shoulders and Taylor cheered.

"Thank you, Sir. Also, I found the winner." Wonka shot up and grabbed her shoulders.

"You did?!" Wonka was a lot more suspired by the news than Taylor expected. Before Taylor could say anything more, a loud binging sound rang through the room. The ticket for North America had been found. Wonka pulled away and looked up and saw the name of the fourth winner. Either of them said anything and headed to the TV room to watch the broadcast.

~~~

"The kid doesn't even like chocolate!"

"Yep"

"He figured out the tracking system as well!"

"Smart kid."

"Ahh!" Wonka yelled then fell onto his couch, holding his face in his hands. After watching the news, Wonka stormed to his bedroom and Taylor followed. Scarlet heard them coming from her room, and when she poked her head out her door, Taylor quickly apologized and hurried along. Once inside, Wonka paced back in forth venting all his frustration. Taylor could do nothing to calm him down and just say in the chair across from him. "I'm forging that ticket too."

"No, you won't. We don't have time for that and if anything it doesn't matter. He didn't steal his ticket plus he might not even show up." Taylor propped herself up with a fist in boredom as Wonka had his little fit. Wonka didn't want to push the tour back in the first place, and this was the price he had to pay. He already threw one ticket out, he didn't have enough time to throw out this ticket as well. "Who surname is fucking Teavee of all things?" Taylor chuckled trying to the anger out of Wonka.

"It's a stupid name," Wonka responded through his fingers and Taylor nodded. It was a really stupid name. They laughed and Wonka felt a bit better.

"You found the winner?" Wonka finally brought down his hands from his face and stared up towards the ceiling.

"His name is Charlie Bucket and he is the cutest thing in the world." 

"How did you find him?"

"Actually he came to me, he has also been a huge fan of your work since he was born. His grandfather worked for you."

"Hmm?"

"Joesph Bucket?"

"That name sounds really familiar, but I can't think of anyone." Wonka sat up and crossed his legs as he thought over the name a couple of times. When he couldn't match a face to the name, he shrugged. A lot of people used to work for him before he closed down everything due to spies. "Did you give him the ticket?"

"Nope, I have a clever way of giving it to him though. His birthday is a day before the tour."

"He knows you work for me?" Wonka sounded a bit panic, and Taylor nodded.

"Don't worry, ya diva, he didn't make a big deal out of it and rather he is very humble for a twelve-year-old. He has something about him I think would be great for the factory. Maybe even great for you. but don't randomly kill him." Taylor shook her head and Wonka huffed.

"I would never harm a child, just their.....parents"Wonka trailed off a bit as if the world had slowed down and words became hard. Taylor snapped her fingers to bring him back, and he cleared his throat. Taylor got up from her seat and walked over to kneel down and sit between Wonka legs. She rested her head back against his thigh and hummed. Wonka sat back against the couch and placed a hand on her head. He stroked her hair lightly as they sat in silence. 

"He actually stands outside your gates a lot when it warm." Taylor finally spoke again, Wonka brows knotted for a bit then he cocked one as he looked down at her.

"That's the little kid that stares at the factory?"

"Hmm'yep."

"Well I'll be..."

"He is really kind and respectfully, very witty and quick to come up with something to say. I like him, maybe he'll put you in your place. Be funny to see a grown man get owned by a child." Taylor reached over with her hand and patted Wonka's bad leg. Wonka wiggled her hand off of him and huffed.

"As that would ever happen," Wonka paused and thought about how easy it sounded to have Charlie as an heir. "Well, Little girl get to work and get that boy his ticket. We have no time to waste." Wonka, knowing it would annoy Taylor, patted her head like a pet which earned him a watt of the hand and her rocking forward and away from him. 

"You shit head."

"Careful dear, you're in my room." Wonka placed a hand under her chin and pulled her closer then kissed her cheek.

"Whatever old man."

"Hey!"


	5. Set Into Place

**January 31st**

So much work went into Taylor making sure everything was ready for the unexpected birthday gift. The early morning delivery to the candy store that stood right across the street, to the placement of the money, to the hidden space she could watch everything unfold. She had woken up that morning like a child on Christmas running down the halls ready for anything. She sped all the way to the shipping department and requested the last ticket. Once it was in her hands, she hurried back to her room to get dress and go out into the winter wonderland of England. Unknown to her, Wonka watched as she marched through the snow from his office window. A small smile lined his face as he could only imagine how excited Taylor was to give the last ticket to the real winner. Wonka chuckled to himself and turned away to go back to his breakfast. He knew that when she came back, she would be up in arms rambling about how she set up the whole thing.

Outside Taylor looked around for Charlie trying to make sure he was nowhere near the area as she set up. She knew Charlie would come soon to try and sell papers, so she had to work fast. Taylor had thought ahead with figuring out how to get the money to stay put in the harsh winds. She placed a tiny piece of Wonka sticky taffy and stuck it to the inside of the trashbin that sat right next to Charlie spot. It was really unsanitary for anyone to go digging in the trash and that's why she put it there. Charlie would never accept large sums of money if someone freely handed to him. But it was clear as day if the money was unbothered and left alone Charlie's inner child would come out and he would snag it. After she did that she walked across the street to the candy store. Inside was ghostly as the owner had yet to open for the day. Mr.Buggles was the owner and also a victim of Wonka ruthless monopoly.

"Well if it isn't Wonka's little troublemaker." The old man called from the back in a playful, friendly tease. Wonka recently had to come and pay a visit to Buggles when the man's wife died. That little old lady always had a big heart for Wonka during his troubled times, and Wonka wanted to pay his respect personally. That, and she was the one to ask Wonka personally not to kill her husband when she found out he was in on the spying. Somehow it worked and the man got to outlive all the other vendors. During that visit, he had introduced Taylor and made it clear that she was nothing but trouble. Since then every time Taylor went out by herself into the town, she would stop by Mr Buggles to say hello and buy something. Taylor smiled at the man and shook her head as she reached into her bag from under her cloak. She pulled the Wonka bar that held the ticket and a picture out and placed it on the high counter. Mr Buggles's lean over his counter to look at the picture. He cocked an eyebrow then looked over to the girl.

He picked up the picture of Charlie Bucket for a better look then down again at the candy bar, "I thought the contest was fair?" He placed the photo above him pinning it to the hidden cubby.

"When has he ever been fair?" Taylor was going to say Wonka's name until she heard the door open. Mr.Buggles took the candy bar and hid it as well with a shake of his head.

"So what's the plan?"

"You make sure that kid gets that bar, that's it. Just for your trouble, I'll send you something a bit later after all this." Taylor wiggled her fingers in the air with the indication of special treats. Unbounced to Wonka, Taylor secretly kept his production of chocolate cigars in the works. She used them as trading bargains (on top of telling Wonka all of the dirty business said victim was doing) and it always worked. Taylor always got her way.

Mr.Buggles smirked and held up a hand, "No need for that. I'm happy to do this for ya." The old man didn't need anything back, he was grateful for the little things, such as staying alive.

"Thanks! I have no idea when he'll be in but make sure that you keep an eye on the door." Taylor thumbed back towards the entrance right as someone was about to enter. When she heard the bell, she quickly whipped around to see if it was Charlie. When it wasn't, she held her chest and let out a breath. "Also make sure no one gets that bar but him. It's his birthday." Taylor knew she could trust the old man.

"Don't worry, I got it covered. Now off you go, you're holding up my line." The old man narrowed his eyes and smirked. Taylor was about to say something back until she heard the sound of someone behind her. She quickly apologized and moved before whispering goodbye to Mr.Buggles and leaving.

The hiding spot in mind was the cafe that was on the same side as the money but a reasonable distance so she wouldn't be seen. From chair window, Taylor could get a clear shot down the street. To settle herself, she ordered something to drink and played on her phone to past the time. Just then a message popped across her screen.

_MJ's Lost Brother: Hows the scouting?_

_Cev: It's going. Nothing yet._

_MJ's Lost Brother: Why don't you just come back to the factory then?_

_Cev: Awwwe you miss me already? Can't stand a minute away from me?_

_MJ's Lost Brother: Nevermind, please stay out and freeze._

_Cev: Welp there goes the moment. You are such a mood ruiner_

_MJ's Lost Brother: Says you. You never know how to keep a mood going._

_Cev: At least my bad leg doesn't stop me from throwing it back, unlike some people that shouldn't be named._

_MJ's Lost Brother: At least I got a bad leg at the right age, unlike some clumsy person back in high school._

_Cev: That's why your dick is small_

_MJ's Lost Brother: But yet your eyes roll to the back of your head every time._

_Scarlett Grey-Hansson: THIS IS THE GROUP CHAT!_

Taylor gasped causing other's in the cafe to look at her. She lowered herself in her chair and looked over the name on the contact. It was indeed the factory group chat that not only had the main three in it but also Wonka's brothers and a few personal little workers. Taylor shot herself in the foot with insisting they all make one stay in contact. But really it was Wonka's fault for not look either. Taylor sent a quick 'sorry' and closed the chat quickly, not wanting to see if anyone else responded. She put her phone down on the table and grabbed her drink to take a sip. Now all there was to do was wait for Charlie to show up and follow his yellow brick road to his biggest dream. What Taylor hadn't expected was that today Charlie wouldn't be selling papers in the morning. Nor would he show a few hours after twelve. She had already ordered three more drinks and her phone was nearly dead from all the games she's was playing. During that time she even called her mother for a small white lie update on life. Something she's been trying to do more.

When she checked the cafe clock, it was almost four o'clock, and Taylor was beginning to get tired of waiting. She turned back towards the window to make sure no one had seen the money, but that wouldn't do, so she got up, grabbed her stuff and went towards the trashbin to look. When she saw it was still there, she sighed and prayed that Charlie would show up soon to get it (or at least have this whole plan work). She made her way back over to the shop with Mr.Buggles. She didn't have to open the door to see him shaking his head 'no show' through the glass. Taylor smiled and nodded and motioned for him to keep watching. The old man nodded and turned back towards the incoming customers. With that, Taylor turned on her heels and started walking back towards the factory.

Today was supposed to be magical and special. But with the uncoordinated time schedules, everything seemed like it was a loss of hope. The girl couldn't help but feel a bit of panic settle in that maybe she had messed up. Perhaps she should have taken Charlie his gift. It wasn't like she didn't know where he lived, it was obviously the shack in the middle of the town. Taylor knew if she could, she would have been kicking herself in the ass. There was still time to turn around and grab everything and march over to the Bucket house and give Charlie his golden ticket. Taylor stopped halfway between her set up and the factory and thought for a moment. She slowly turned around, biting her lip at the idea. Would Charlie even take the candy bar if she gave it to him? Or would he insist that he wanted to buy one with his own money? He couldn't be that mature and selfless as a child? Could he? Taylor sure hoped not if he was going to be Willy Wonka heir to a vast empire. Taylor was too lost in her thoughts of Charlie's selflessness and Wonka's wacky idea of an heir to notice a bouncing Charlie Bucket running across the street to the shop. She didn't even see that the boy had gotten the ticket, with a face of shock and disbelief. It wasn't until she heard someone say 'Run home, boy! Run and don't look back!' that she peaked up to saw what was going on.

There as in slow motion Taylor could see a very happy Charlie Bucket running with all his might back home. The world seemed to almost glow at the child's luck. Taylor's heart grew with so much joy as her plan worked but also the joy she was able to give the child. Now with a newfound sense of confidence, Taylor turned back towards the factory and hurried herself. She couldn't help but let out whoops and hollers in victory. Even after slipping back into the courtyard and tracking towards the entrance Taylor was beaming with excitement. She couldn't even make it through the long hallway as she was stopped by Wonka in his own therapy session. This was still the dumbest area to have such things Taylor thought. Wonka turned his head, slightly annoyed that there was a disturbance, but when he saw Taylor waving at him and Jacques, he sighed and sat up.

"I guess that will do for the day, Jacques, thank you." Wonka retied his robe and fixed his hair. The little worker nodded before giving his salute to the couple and walking away. Taylor smiled then wasted no time in waltzing over and jumping into Wonka lap.

"I did it! Charlie got it! It took fucking forever, and I almost gave up hope. But as soon as I turned around, I saw him with the bar in his hand running home." Taylor kissed Wonka's cheeks and giggled. She was still running on happiness, and Wonka couldn't stop the contagious feeling as he smiled and kissed her cheek in return.

"Good job, my dear, you managed to succeed. But yet I know nothing about this little boy." Wonka sighed and shifted so he could support his weight and Taylor on his good leg.

"You don't need to, not right now, just know I pick the very best, and in due time you will see that he is your future successor." Taylor's smile was tight and unbreakable. Wonka could only nod with a weak one and hope for the best she was right.

"You sound like a proud mother."

"I am! Or I could have been, just saying." Taylor rolled her eyes and playfully pouted, she poked Wonka's chest then kissed him again this time on the lips. Wonka stiffened then relaxed and returned her advances gingerly. Taylor was the one to pull away and get off of him. Wonka was unpleased as he started to crave her physical presence against him. He frowned and shot her a look and Taylor smiled softly.

"You got a big day coming, Sir. You should rest for the rest of the day and get ready. The last thing you need is to have a panic attack in front of people." Taylor said, crossing her arms in front of her chest. Wonka huffed and stood up, popping his back in a satisfying snap crackle pop. He grumbled about getting old, and Taylor patted his shoulder.

"I will not have a panic attack." Wonka finally said after gathering himself. He held out his elbow for Taylor to link her arm around. The girl accepted it, and they started towards the candy room.

"When was the last time you had strangers in your factory?" Taylor looked up towards him. Wonka made an uneasy face and rolled his shoulders.

"That doesn't mean anything."

"You're nervous."

"Am not!"

"You only have early therapy session when you're anxious. You have therapy on Mondays."

"Maybe I just needed a thinking session, Jacques is really good at helping out with thoughts." Wonka tried to sound confident, sound like nothing was the matter. But it failed as Taylor unlocked her arm and shot out in front of him to stop his walking.

"It's okay to be nervous, ya know, people are scary, and this is a huge step for you. You let me and Scarlet in, hell you even let in your brothers, but this is a whole new ballgame." Taylor reached out a hand and cupped his cheek and Wonka looked away nervously. The only time she saw him like this was when they were stuck running circles around each other. This was really weighing in on him, and Taylor had to do her best to keep him floating. At times like this, Taylor was so happy to see the more human side of Wonka. The little kid that wanted to do more but was scared. Wonka needed a push and Taylor was going to try to do so for things to go as plan. For the sake of the factory and for the sake of her lover.

"Hey, you big baby," Taylor called out. Wonka snapped his eyes towards her and snarled.

"What?" He wasn't angry or annoyed by the teasing name, but he couldn't stop the venom that left his lips.

"I love you." Taylor stood on her tippy toes and pulled Wonka down so she could kiss him.

"I suppose I tolerate you more than most," Wonka said as he pulled away and winked. Taylor sighed with a smile and shook her head as she linked arms with him and continued their walk inside.

Tomorrow was a very big day.

Tomorrow was a very scary day.

Tomorrow was the day the Chocolate Empire would welcome its new heir home.


	6. Things You Shouldn't Say

"There are so many people standing out there."

"What did you expect? The world loves him and everything he makes."

"Yeah but not everything he does." Taylor nervously whispered as she looked out to the mass of people crowed around the factory gate. Today was the day, the five lucky children that found the golden tickets were here for the tour. Here to be picked off one by one until there was only one child left standing. She could see the children, they seemed so small from where she stood. Wonka told the girls not to stand in the office window so the press wouldn't be able to take pictures of them. So Scarlet and Taylor hurried up to the Sky Room to be able to watch the gates open. Scarlet wasn't as worried as Taylor nor anxious like Wonka when they all woke up to get ready. She was unbothered by the press gathering around the factory; all she wanted was for this tour to go smoothly and the children to be ushered out as quickly as possible. Luckily to Scarlet joy, the parents of the children were able to come in as well, which meant Wonka wouldn't be able to chuck a child into a blender and dispose of them so quickly. 

"Did you really write calling cards for him?" Scarlet looked down and saw the uninvited crowd started to step at the sound of the double gate opening. Finally, a muffled Wonka voice came through the outside speakers and the children hurried in.

"He was really out of it last night, so I made little cue cards to get him through it if he got stuck." Taylor rubbed the back of her neck as she remembered how tired she actually was from the loss of sleep.

"He really is a hopeless man." Scarlet rolled her eyes with a scoff and shook her head in the disappointment that a grown man couldn't handle a few kids and their parents. "Is that Charlie?" Scarlet pointed towards the end of the line at the last boy. Taylor nodded and Scarlet hummed in approval. "Lovely."

The girls stood at the window a bit more when they realized the kids were still standing outside, looking up at something.

"Oh god," Taylor pinched the bridge of her nose and let out a heavy sigh. The sound of Disney ride music started to play, and Taylor nearly lost her mind. "He fucking showed them the puppets."

"The fire puppets?" Scarlet tried to get a better look, but all she could see was the shine of the fire reflecting off the children's face. 

"I told him not to do that! Now those kids are going to be traumatized." Taylor turned away from the window grumbling under her breath how she was going to strangle the candyman.

"Well he is a traumatizing person, maybe he has to make sure Charlie can put up with the good, the bad, and the disturbing." Scarlet saw Wonka walk out and stand beside the line of people like a ghost. Then when the music stopped, and smoke rose from the ground to the window they stood at, Wonka clapped. Scarlet was disgusted and couldn't bear to watch Wonka become bubbly at other's discomfort. She turned towards Taylor and took the girl's hand. Taylor didn't have to ask what was going on as she followed Scarlet to the elevator and down to ground level. When they got to the candy room, they could hear Wonka talking and getting closer. Taylor hit a random button on the elevator so it would leave. Then they hurried to the farthest side of the room and up a set of hidden stairs that took them to the platform that hung over the room and out of sight.

The girls were free to side down and hand their feet over the railing. Just as they got comfortable Wonka open the door to the room and the group funnelled in. Wonka's voice echoed around the room as he spoke of the wonders of his candy.

"Does he have to be so loud?" Scarlet rubbed her ears dramatically. Taylor smiled at her then back down just as Wonka awkwardly ran from a card. 

"He knows we're in here." She whispered. The girls couldn't hear what the kids or parents were saying, but when Wonka told them his cannibal line, Taylor chuckled as their faces dropped. All except Charlie's who still wore a giant smile.

"Did you tell him to say that?" Scarlet poked at Taylor's side. Taylor quickly threw up her hands and shook her head in slight horror. "Jesus, that man is fucked up. They're kids!"

"He's a kid. That's his playground humour." Taylor responded, leaning against the rail in front of her to get comfortable. Soon the kids took off to explore their sugary wonderland with cheerful screams of delight. Wonka stood by the door, standing tall and proud of himself, he then slowly cocked his head to the side and looked towards the girls. Taylor knew he couldn't see them directly due to the lighting, but she waved anyway. Scarlet, for once, did as well. Wonka tipped the brim of his tophat before snapping back into character as a parent asked him a question. 

"These kids are monsters, look at that Mike kid." Taylor pointed over to the spiky hair kid stomping the hell out of a sugarcoated gum-gum pumpkin. "You're supposed to eat it!" Taylor knew her voice could be heard when she saw Wonka nod his head in agreement and roll his shoulders. She quickly covered her mouth but still staying things.

"Yeah, well haven't you wanted to break things too? I have." Scarlet ran silently on the last bit, remembering the few times she's walked through this room with the pulling need to smash something.

"True," Taylor said. Unlike Scarlet, Taylor had taken a few giant candies as victims for her destructive needs. She however never did it in the presents of Wonka or anyone Oompa Loomps. It caught Taylor attention when Wonka finally started to walk down into the field towards the river. He stopped and looked towards his left and flinched when he caught the sight of Mrs.Beauregarde stuffing her face. Taylor had no idea if the women said anything or not, but she could tell when someone was flirting.

"Looks like you finally got comp," Scarlet giggled as she watched the scene down below as well. "Let's hope he doesn't like blonds anymore." 

"He fucking better not I'll smother him in his sleep. Then I'll call Elenora ugly crying and go work for her and hopefully marry her." Taylor gripped the railing and threw imaginary daggers at the back of Wonka's head and the face of the blonde woman.

"She has a girlfriend," Scarlet said, patting Taylor back as the other pouted harder.

"The good ones are either taken or straight." 

The drumming the faint but from high up the girls could hear it. The Oompa Loompas that were already in the room had stopped what they were doing and looked towards the river. Wonka called out for a child to get away from the river, but he started to get drowned out by the drumming.

"Already?" Scarlet leaned over so Taylor could hear her.

"Why do you think Wonka picked this room first. He wanted the fat kid gone early." Taylor shrugged and watched the unfortunate happenings. Wonka had made it clear he was going to pick off the kids one by one based on their flaws, make it look like freaky accidents and maybe just maybe get rid of them altogether. Scarlet and Taylor were quick to stop him by humbling him with the speech of not killing children.  _ 'You've never killed a child'. 'Nows a better time then never'. 'William!'.  _ It took an hour to get Wonka to tell the Oompa Loompas the disposing of the bodies were now off the list. Instead, the children and their parents would be escorted away until the very end where they would be let go.

Oh, how happy the Oompa Loompas were when they were given the green light for a musical number. Wonka spoke highly of their musical talents and even more so when he exposed them to the modern world. The girls also sat through a rehearsal and were surprised they could speak English.  _ 'Of course, they can speak English, silly'. 'Then why don't they?'. 'Why would they succumb to western colonization?' 'Why were my people?'. 'Touche'. _

The song was catchy, and the girls couldn't stop the need to dance as they waited for the climax. Augustus Gloop, during the last chorus leading to the climax, was shot up the tube with so much force; Taylor was sure the kid had lost a few pounds.

"He's gonna make us drain the river and tunnel for cleaning, isn't he?" Scarlet groaned as the realization that no one should touch the chocolate without protective gear flash through her mind.

"Eeeyep!" Taylor groaned as well. 

"This is going to be a shit show, and I know it." Scarlet pulled back from the railing and pulled her legs in so she could get up. Taylor did as well to stretched and shake out her legs. More drumming came from the tunnel and Taylor looked over to see a giant pink seahorse boat make way.

"When the fuck did he have time to get that built?!" Taylor asked in disbelief aloud.

"Who knows, come on." Scarlet shrugged, and the pulled Taylor away to get back down the stairs and start going towards the next room.

~~~

All he had to do was make it through this tour and not mental snap. All he had to do was act friendly, and no one would suspect that one by one, they were getting knocked out. The moment Wonka saw Charlie, he felt something around him tell him Charlie was meant to be the heir. Wonka had no idea where the feeling came from, nor could he shake the voice in his head telling him to be kind and be patient. Wonka would surly have to ask Jacques about that during his next session. For some reason or the other, the presents of the children's parents also made Wonka nervous. Almost scared to be around them. 

It wasn't because they were there or that they were weird. No, it was merely because they were parents, whether they were good or bad, they were there with their child. Wonka couldn't handle it. Adults were weird. Parents were even stranger. They cared enough to be with their children, and that struck a chord with Wonka. It shook him to his core, and for the first time in a really long time, he found himself spacing out and having flashbacks. Horrible flashbacks of his father yelling, his mother crying and trying to hold him, and his brothers being sent away. Wonka felt himself grow cold as he starred down each and every adult in the room with him.

_ 'How come you couldn't stay with me?'  _ Wonka swallowed hard then snapped out of it as one of the other adults asked him a question. Like a shaken-up deer, Wonka turned on his heels and away from the group hoping they wouldn't follow. 

As of now, one kid was gone, and good riddance, Wonka was so glad he chose to knock the fat kid off first. There was no telling if the boat would be able to hold so much weight had he kept Gloop around. Wonka kept his conversations going as he counted the heads of every child. There were still one too many parents here, and it made Wonka even more anxious. Violently anxious. He wanted to push them off the boat and have them drown. He wanted them to suffer, go away, never come back, and he could carry on with the tour. But as much as he wanted to, he opened and closed his fist to and count to ten...twenty...thirty to calm down. Where children also so short? Was he short? He was shorter than Wilfred but an inch taller than Wesley. Wonka never remembered being short; how could he be when he always wore a top hat to make himself taller. 

"Mr Wonka?" Charlie called out to the paling man with a small voice, and it brought Wonka back. Charlie beamed brighter than all the other kids, even in his shitey clothes and his somewhat messy hair. He was a green thumb sticking out amongst all the other kids with the company of his grandfather. Wonka quickly looked over to Joe, who sat beside Charlie and remembered their days when they were young. Or Wonka was young, and Joe was younger than he was now. Joe was always so friendly to Wonka and also tried his best to make the Cherry Street shop run smoothly. Wonka never forgot him even after closing the factory and drowning himself in other things. Joe was a moth drawn to Wonka's pretty lights, and there was no debating that Charlie was the same way. 

Wonka answered Charlie with an honest chuckle and a pump of his hair. Charlie seemed just as amused and giggled, and Wonka felt a tug on his heart. One of the rotten kids, Wonka couldn't for the life of him remember their names, said something and Charlie corrected them. Not all children were terrible, just the ones raised by bad people, Charlie clearly had a line of people that raised him correctly. If the boy was knowledgable enough to make correct observations about things he had never seen before. Then Wonka was sure he would be a quick learner when it came to running the factory.

The inventing room was a dozy, children were quickly told to not touch anything, but they didn't listen. Wonka had to bit the inside of his cheek to keep from blowing his top when he saw the increasing number of handprints on his glass tubes. Wonka had no time to react when he felt a slender hand snake up his spine then over his shoulder.

"You're still as beautiful as you were then, what's your secret Willy," Mrs.Beauregarde whispered a little to close for comfort in Wonka's space.

"Ha! I don't know what you're talking about." Wonka moved away from the woman right as he caught sight of something behind the everlasting gobstopper pool. He turned his head slightly so he could see Taylor standing with her arm crossed. Mrs.Beauregarde didn't see the girl and continued her advances on Wonka recalling their few nightly encounters when they were younger. The woman seemed so lost in them as if she prayed, she would have another chance.

"Shouldn't you be paying attention to your child? You're her mo-mo......mo." The words were stuck. For the millionth time today, he couldn't say it.

"Mother? My darling Violet is a champion, and I'm sure she can handle herself while mommy is busy." Mrs.Beauregarde tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and slightly unzipped her track jacket to give the candy man a peak. Wonka couldn't stop his eyes in time as he looked down and for a moment agreed that they were a sight. But then he snapped himself together when he heard the whispering of a very angry brat beyond the glass. 

"Ooh! Look at this!" Wonka called out loud to gather everyone's attention. The first child to come running was Mrs.Beauregarde's daughter. As they waited for everyone else, Wonka looked down at the blonde little girl with curiosity. She looked nothing like what he remembered of her father, more like her mother....more like someone else. Wonka swallowed hard as he felt his heart stop for a mere second as a terrible thought crossed his mind. Mrs.Beauregarde daughter broke her mother's trance in the nick of time, Wonka was grateful, Mrs.Beauregarde quickly zipped her jacket back up but gave Wonka a flirty wink. Wonka knew right then and right now, Mrs.Beauregarde and her daughter had to go next. And what better way than with her daughters world record chewing fixation. 

~~~

"Jesus I've never seen someone so horny for a middle-aged man with a lesbian haircut. I mean, besides you." Scarlet chuckled and patted Taylor's shoulder. They had just left the inventing room right as the blonde cheerleader started getting too cosy with Wonka. Scarlet could feel the tension getting heavy when she saw the secure lock Taylor had through the water. Scarlet knew it was time to go before Taylor called for her axe and walked around and chop the women to bits. "I really hope his possession issues aren't rubbing off on you." Scarlet huffed and leaned against the elevator.

Taylor dropped her shoulders as her eyes went wide in embarrassment, "I....no....wow, was I just?"

"Jealous? Yeah."

"Scarlet save me!" Taylor grabbed at her face and leaned back against the elevator wall and slid to the floor. "I refuse to be jealous! Over Wonka, of all fucking people? Please save me." Scarlet smiled sweetly and kneeled down to comfort Taylor.

"I'm sorry but I can't, love makes you jealous, but it's you who learns to mature the art of not being jealous." Scarlet sounded wise, old, but so young but still very mature for her age. 

"I wanted saving, not advice, mom."

"You'll get advice and you'll like it." Scarlet used her motherly voice and Taylor laughed.

"Feeling jealous sucks," Taylor commented just as the elevator stopped on Wonka's office floor. Scarlet helped Taylor up so they could get off, they had to hurry for it seemed Wonka had pinged it. Taylor did not want to be stuck on a hell ride back towards the tour.

"Yeah, but when their jealous it's kinda nice," Scarlet said.

"Oh yeah, totally." The girls got to the office and got inside just as the factory phone rang. Taylor ran over and cleared her throat before picking up.

"The wonderous wonders of Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory, Taylor speaking, how may I help you." Taylor put on her best voice and Scarlet gave her a thumbs up. 

"Hello? I would like to speak to Mister Wonka." It was a woman on the other end. Her accent was heavy Russian and slurred slightly with 'r' in mister. Taylor couldn't figure out who it was from all the people she's met int he past 5 years.

"He isn't available at the moment ma'am, may I have your name so he can give you a callback?" Taylor reached for a loose tray of paper and a pen.

"Da, Mrs.Piker, Mara Piker. Make sure Wonka returns this call or else he will have an unexpected visit." The phone clicked in Taylor's ear, and she pulled away and looked down.

"Who was that?" Scarlet asked, walking around the desk to look at the little note. When she saw the note, her eyes widen, and she looked up towards Taylor, who was still stuck in shock. "Uh oh."

"I have to go tell him." Taylor put the phone back on the retriever and turned around to knock on the wall.

"But he is in the middle of a tour."

"This is rather important, besides by now, Charlie should be the last one standing." Just as Taylor finished talking an Oompa Loompa popped out from behind the secret door and saluted. "Where is Wonka?" the little worker shrugged and giggled. Taylor narrowed her eyes and the little worker straighten up and nodded and ran back into the wall. Within seconds the wall behind the desk opened up, and a large secret passageway opened up. Scarlet had no time to ask how long that had been there before Taylor took off running after the Oompa Loompa. Scarlet closed her mouth and hurried after while saying 'excuse me' to the few little people she bumped into. 

The worker led Taylor through a few turns and dips before pushing open another hidden door that opened out into the candy firework room. Taylor ran out towards the end of the platform just as the elevator slowed down and venture through. Taylor waved to get Wonka attention, but he seemed so out of it. Taylor noticed Mike was still there, and she quickly lowered her hand. Wonka was starring pretty hard at the spiked hair boy, and Taylor knew he was planning something. Instead of Wonka's attention, she got Charlie's. The little boy lit up with happiness as he saw her and quickly waved back just as Mike reached out and pushed a button. Taylor waved back weakly and promptly turned around, trying to think of when she could get her boss's attention to tell him. 

~~~

The girls were on edge the whole time they waited for Wonka to return from the factory tour with Charlie in tow. It had been two hours since Taylor last saw the group and there was no telling what was going on. The Oompa Loompas wouldn't say anything and would just giggle and run away. Taylor hated waiting anxiously, if what she had to say wasn't important she wouldn't mind telling him later on, but it was important. How could the woman who hijacked Wonka's delivery system randomly call and wish to speak to the man she hijacked? What sense was that if there was any? Taylor looked out the office window as she rocked back and forth in Wonka's chair. She watched the clouds roll by, and she tried to distract herself by trying to see images in them. After a few minutes of seeing a dinosaur in every cloud, Taylor rose to her feet and crack her back. As comfortable as the chair was, it was too comfortable and would always make her back hurt. As she rolled her neck and rubbed it at the base, she heard a loud crashing sound from above her. She looked up towards the ceiling then back out the window as shards of glass fell past the window. Taylor gasped. What the hell was going on?! Then as she looked back up, she saw the glass elevator zooming by carrying her boss and Charlie and his grandpa. 

"Taylor what the hell was that?!" Scarlet kicked in the door with her hands up, ready to fight. When she saw nothing out of the ordinary, she ran over to Taylor's side, she looked the girl over for any cuts or bruises. When she didn't find any and Taylor told her she was fine, Scarlet looked towards the windows and saw the elevator zooming away. "Where is he going?"

"I don't know," Taylor kept watching trying to figure something out. When she saw the elevator slow down and hover over Charlie's shack of a house, she hummed. "He's going to Charlie's house." Then the elevator dropped and crash-landed right through the already ratty roof. Surely he would have to pay to get that fixed, he could have just went through the front door.

"I swear he has zero manners." Scarlet rolled her eyes honestly tried of Wonka's unethical behaviours.

"At this point, I don't think he does either." Taylor crossed her arms hoping that Wonka would at least say sorry for coming through the roof. Knowing him, he would play it off like it's a normal thing to do. Or he would play his 'I'm American' card like he had done in the past a few times. "He needs to hurry up and get back here. He's gonna blame me for getting him the information late." Taylor turned on her heels and looked his desk over until she saw the note. She picked up the note and read it over again and again. The name was bolded and underlined several times.

** Mara Piker **

Taylor said the name under her breath as she tried to burn the name into her brain. She knew it would be necessary for coming time, she didn't know why, but she knew it would.

"He's coming back," Scarlet called out, and Taylor looked over her shoulder to see the elevator zooming back with only Wonka. The girls waited a few minutes as the elevator came back into the factory and Wonka to make his way towards his office. When the door opened, Wonka looked spaced out and confused. Instead of walking the rest of the way in, he stopped in the doorway and just stared ahead. Taylor was the first to move and walked to stand in front of him.

"Where's Charlie?" She asked.

"He said he wouldn't come." Wonka words sounded small and broken. 

"Why not?"

"Because..." Wonka opened his mouth and tried to continue but he was stuck. His eyes finally snapped towards Taylor and he blinked a couple of times. He closed his mouth and looked around his office as if the answer was on the wall. "I told him he couldn't bring his family."

"Why would you tell a kid that?" Scarlet said annoyed and a bit shocked. 

"Because," Wonka started again, but once more, he was stuck. He looked back at Taylor and swallowed hard. Taylor looked into his eyes, trying to understand what he was thinking. Wonka looked almost like he wanted to cry, but he held his breath to stop the tears. "Because of you." Wonka choked out his words as he dropped his head. Taylor's eyebrows knotted as she reached out and cupped his face. Scarlet still didn't understand what that meant.

"You can't do that," Taylor whispered for only Wonka to hear. He knew that, but he still thought he could sway Charlie into considering it. Family was really important to the child, if he couldn't have them with him, he rather stay where he was. Wonka couldn't understand the need for a family. His wasn't great, none of them helped him, hell his father abandon him when he was young. His brothers tried to reach out, sure, but they didn't understand the pain and hurt Wonka had to endure to get where he was now. Wonka didn't have a family he could claim his own, nor did he have one to claim him. He was strong by himself and always had been.

"Family is not important," Wonka grumbled.

"It is when you realize you have one." Taylor corrected him then patted his cheek before pulling away. "You want an heir and are not willing to have one the normal way. If you believe Charlie is your heir, you must go and apologize, you have to adapt, and you have to learn."

Wonka wanted to protest, he didn't want to apologize to a child, he was a grown man! But the dread of not having an heir outweighed his pride. He had to swallow it and deal with the embarrassment of being wrong. He realized then he had lost to a child. He couldn't always get his way.

"I will. Not today, not tomorrow, but I will." Wonka picked his head back up and removed his hat. He forgot Scarlet was in the room and witness all of this. He blushed and looked away. "I have to talk to Jacques, excuse me." Wonka turned on his heels and sped away from the door. Taylor closed the door behind him, she rested her forehead on the wood and sighed.

"You forgot to tell him," Scarlet said, now standing beside Taylor with a hand on her shoulder.

"One thing at a time blondie. One thing at a time." Taylor reached over and patted Scarlet's hand then opened the door to leave. 


	7. Tomorrow I Promise

"He can't say that to a child, he should know better, but yet he doesn't, and I should have expected him to fuck up like that." Taylor laid on her side, facing away from Jacques and towards the entrance door. She could imagine the pure joy on Charlie's face as he walked into a fantasy. Finally stepping into the place of his dreams. Not knowing that by the end of the day, his heart would be broken simply because Wonka lacked empathy. It made her angry, ready to storm up the many stairs to Wonka's bedroom and tell him off. She'd had been holding it in all weekend in favour of not causing a drift in the atmosphere. But now, sitting through her session, she festered in her anger. "Children with caring parents are not going to give all that away. I should really call my mom more." Taylor turned over on her back and sighed. The talk about family and parents made her miss her own. Her mom and brothers all the way back in the states living life as best they could, while she was in England doing all the things good people shouldn't do. Taylor wished she told her mom everything that had ever happened. She knew her mom would flip out and probably demand she come home. But maybe her mom would understand why she stayed and would just ask Taylor to promise to keep safe.

"I miss my mom." Taylor sat up and pulled her legs into her chest to hold herself. "God, I even miss my annoying ass brothers too. I should go visit them after all this shit." She looked over to Jacques, who held up a thumbs up and nodded. He then wrote down something on the little notepad he had and motioned for her to continue. "I kinda miss having a normal life. Like I am normal, but this life isn't, but now it feels normal from how ordinary everything seems to be. Do you think when Wonka goes to work it out with Charlie things would be normal?"

Jacques perked up and shrugged, and Taylor nodded, it didn't need to be said, but they were both thinking it. No matter what happens in the factory, nothing would ever be normal. The walls were lickable to god sakes and Wonka had even let it slip that a few doors were made out of his strongest chocolate (but he advise the girls to not go looking for which one was).

"Maybe if Wonka lets Charlie in along with his family we could be normal. No more back ally business, no more secrets, no more drama. Don't get me wrong I like the spice in life, but at times I wish I could wake up to a normal relationship and a normal every day with Wonka's good side." Taylor smiled to herself, Wonka was terrific on his good days, phenomenal even. There was no mention of anything bad, only the good and a shit tone of teeth rotting candy. Those were the days Taylor felt like him and she were characters in a children's book having their happily ever after.

Taylor got lost in her thoughts of reasons and sorted a few things out with herself. Jacques didn't mind as he knew she would tell him eventually what she was thinking or feeling. Finally, the timer went off and Taylor was already on her feet. The little therapist gave his salute and then patted his wrist to indicate he would see her the same time next week. Taylor smile and nodded and started towards the candy room so she could get to the elevator. When she pushed in the door she was smacked in the face with a sugary hell that even to this day made her gag. Scrunching up her nose, she tracked down the pathway to head towards the farthest end of the room.

**Toot Toot!**

Taylor stopped walking and turned back around towards the chocolate river. In the distance, she could see a small boat coming from the tunnel and a very familiar top hat. The little boat was much different than the large pink one, it was white and covered in golden 'W's. It looked more like a ferry that could only seat four people. Or maybe a couple on a cosy date night. Taylor smirked at the idea of Wonka coming to sweep her off her feet, but then he would complain about how heavy she was to get under her skin. She crossed her arms waiting for the ever so posh Wonka to make his grand entrance. Once he was in the middle of the river, he steered the boat closer to the bay and threw on the breaks.

"Sir." Taylor called out.

"Ah yes my favourite little brat, I was actually looking for you. Get in." His smile was bright and unbreakable, but there was something behind it. Taylor was sure once she got in the boat, he would start talking off her ear about a new candy idea. She walked closer and Wonka let go of the wheel to hold out his hand to help her in. Once she was inside she took a seat next to the wheel and waiting for Wonka to start rambling. They pulled away from the bay and started down the tunnel.

"I need your advice," Wonka said over his shoulder, and Taylor knotted a brow. "I've chosen to go out today and speak with Charlie."

"And?"

"I don't know how," Wonka whispered, his shoulders dropped for a moment and his eyes lowered in shame. Taylor got up from her seat and stood beside Wonka. She watched him for a moment then looked forward.

"You talk to him like he has always been your friend. You apologize."

"But what about his..ya know his....ughh!" Wonka groaned and threw his hands up for a moment before quickly putting them back on the wheel to steer the boat away from the fear tunnel.

"You never had an issue saying family before."

"I know."

"Are you okay?"

"I don't know." Silence took over the trip again and Taylor knew she had to say something. Quickly she reached out and grabbed one of Wonka's hands and held it in hers. She gave it a squeeze and Wonka returned it by holding the grip.

"For the small amount of time I've known that boy, he has never asked me for anything. The only thing he asked was for me to buy a newspaper off of him so he could support his family in their next meal. After that, he never asked me for anything, and that's when I knew he was the one. I felt a pull to baby him and give him everything. I looked at Charlie once, and I knew his mind worked similar to yours. He has an imagination that hadn't been unlocked. He had a spark." Taylor was confident in her words, and Wonka could feel it.

"I saw it too."

"But most importantly, that boy has love, he would never ask you for anything else in this world except his family. And I say mister William Hagan Wonka you allow that boy to have his family."

"That means they have to move in as well."

"Of course."

"That means I have to interact with them."

"You'll grow to love it. Just like you grew to love me." Taylor leaned over to rest her head on Wonka's arm and Wonka smiled. He looked over and shook his shoulder to get her off of him.

"I've grown to tolerate you." He whispered and leaned down to kiss her on the lips. It wasn't a passionate kiss, just a simple peck that stayed longer than it should.

Taylor pulled away from him and rolled her eyes, "Just say it, I wanna hear it even if it's once a month." She teased him and Wonka playfully groan and rolled his eyes.

"Fine. I have grown to love you, I love you." He wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her in for a kiss and Taylor giggled. When they broke away again, Wonka blushed and went back to steering the boat. "This shouldn't be this difficult."

"It's only hard because your heart has grown ten times bigger than it was." Taylor reached over and patted Wonka chest over his coat.

"I'm not the grinch." He grumbled and stuck out his tongue, which Taylor quickly shot up to her tippy toes and stuck out her tongue to lick his. Wonka threw a hand over his mouth and shook his head, blushing harder than he already was. Taylor laughed then poked his cheek. Wonka felt his nerve starts to calm down as he continues to steer them down random tunnels. He had no real destination, he meant to chat with Taylor then end the ride, but now he didn't mind the careless driving if it meant him and Taylor could do couple things. Wonka even though he should invite her out again and they could have a small date night on the ferry. They haven't been on a proper date yet so that could be a start. Wonka nodded to himself as he made a mental note that after he went out to speak with Charlie, he would plan a date.

_Wow.....a date..._

Wonka heart fluttered and his breathing got heavy as he felt bashful. This relationship thing would be the death of him if he wasn't careful.

~~~

"Remember, talk to him like he is a friend, a schoolyard friend." Taylor said and tucked Wonka's scarf into his coat and patted his chest.

"I'm not sure if I know how," Wonka replied nervously as he checked himself over again in his mirror.

"Jeez did you not have friends in school?" Taylor said mindlessly, when she realized what she said she threw a hand over her mouth, Wonka narrowed his eyes then let out a heavy sigh. Taylor apologized and pulled away to grab his cane and goggles, he took them with a thank you and turned fully towards the mirror. Taylor stood behind him with her hands crossed over her front, patiently waiting for him.

"One lesson I actually learned from that bastard Kelvin was to always keep your shades on. If you are scared, the other person will never know because they can't see your eyes. Your fear could look like anger, and they would never know." Wonka turned on his heels and nodded towards Taylor before venturing out his bedroom door. She could hear him whistle for his elevator and then the zooming sound of him leaving the factory. Taylor knew it would be a while before Wonka came back, she wasn't going to stand in his room all day and wait for him, she could be off finding something to distract her. She left the room and headed towards Scarlet's room to see if the blonde was available. She knocked a few times calling Scarlet's name, and a voice told her to come in. She slowly entered and closed the door behind her, but when she turned around to find Scarlet, the blonde was on the floor with yards of different colour ropes tying herself up.

"Oh! Did I come at a bad time?" Taylor looked away but peaked over a few times out of curiosity.

"If you did, I would have told you to come back later. I'm just practising my tying." Scarlet continued to loop the grey rope around her right ankle then pull it back to anchor it in the ropes around her thigh. She then reached for a mint green rope to do it again but creating a pattern. When she noticed Taylor hadn't moved from the door, she looked up and cocked an eyebrow to the younger girl.

"Have you never seen Shibari before?"

"No."

"You two to never...?"

"Nope." Taylor popped the 'p' for emphases and Scarlet was a bit surprised. "We've only like done anything three times." Taylor felt her cheeks heat up, and she nervously smiled. Jokingly talking about sex was one thing but having to admit to how many times you've actually done it was another.

"Now that is something I wasn't expecting." Scarlet patted the space in front of herself for Taylor to sit down. Taylor joined her and crossed her legs in front of her as she watched Scarlet work. The patterns on her leg were really pretty, and it made Taylor want to learn how to do it.

"Do you want to learn?" Scarlet asked as she reached for another coloured rope and handed it to Taylor. Taylor nodded and took the rope, she looked it over a few times then back up to Scarlet. Within a few minutes, Taylor was learning the basic types of knots and tying forms.

"Why do you practice this?" Taylor asked out loud while Scarlet set to work fixing the star on Taylor's thigh.

"It helps me relax. I was strapped to a bed for months, remember? I have a sense of control when I'm tying myself, plus it's hot." Scarlet winked right as she pulled the ropes tighter around the inside of Taylor's thigh. The girl gasped and went wide-eyed before a smile crept across her face. "Also the art of Shibari is very beautiful and isn't just about tying someone up to get off to. It's the beauty of the human body, we are flexible, we are compacted, we are a canvas while the ropes weave themselves to make art. When the ropes become beauty, we become beautiful." Scarlet finished fixing the star then traced the points. "There is also trust and understanding in the person being tied up and the person tying." Scarlet traced a finger over the ropes on Taylor until getting to a knot and pushing on it. "Every knot is understanding and connection."

"This is rather deep," Taylor said breathlessly.

"When there is love, passionate, understanding, beauty, and nature, everything is deep and meaningful." Scarlet reached for another rope on the floor next to them and wrapped it through her hand and under her elbow. She started to wrap it around until it was neatly packed together and tied it off so it couldn't come undone. She grabbed Taylor hand and placed the large knotted rope in her hand. "The knot keeps it together, keeps us together, keeps us safe."

Taylor was amazed and highly impressed, but it didn't stop the jokes that formed in her head, "But it's still sexy right?"

"Of course, it is. Wilfred loves it." Scarlet rolled her eyes and laughed. She then set to work untying herself once the ropes started to become too stiff. The imprints left on her pale skin were red and angry but still very stunning. Taylor wished she brought her phone with her to take a picture. It reminded her of the time she got tied up in the Nerds Ropes and Wonka had to get her down. Those imprints left colours on her skin that didn't fade for a few days. The prints on Scarlet seemed like it would do that same, but in a few hours, they would be gone.

"Where was he go again?" Scarlet broke Taylor train of thoughts with her question and made the girl blink a few times.

"To find Charlie and apologize." Scarlet hummed to that answer than continued to her next.

"How was your session?"

"I realize I need to call my mom more, I miss her."

"That's good. Maybe you could even leave back to the states to see her."

"Are you trying to use me as an excuse to go visit Wilfred?" Taylor narrowed her eyes and smirked, Scarlet threw her hands up and shook her head.

"I would never.....maybe, but for real you should go back home and visit your family. Get a breath of fresh air away from the factory and all the bullshit around it." Scarlet gathered all her ropes and stood up to put them back in her closet. Taylor kept the one still tied around her thigh.

"We should go at the same time. When Charlie and his family move in, you and I should leave for a bit." Taylor stood up too and moved towards the bed for a better place to sit. The floor was only comfortable for so long.

"Yeah?"

"Totally!"

"Have you told Wonka about the phone call yet?"

"Oh..." Taylor honestly forgot about that, that phone call was critical, but there was so much going on it slipped to the back of her mind.

"Make sure you tell him, even if we leave it will be a good idea that Wonka figures something out by the time we come back." Scarlet joined Taylor on the bed with a bounce and Taylor chuckled.

"I will. The last thing I need is for Charlie to be in danger when he just got here."

"I still think all of this was a terrible idea."

"Yeah yeah, I know. But Wonka gets what he wants, and he complains the whole time doing so. I have faith that Charlie is the answer to our prayers to get Wonka to mellow the hell out." Taylor threw herself back onto the bed to look up towards the ceiling. Scarlet joined her and sighed, it was all wishful thinking.

"Charlie must br a gift from God the way you talk about him."

"You'll love him."

"I hope so."

~~~

It was nine at night when the sound of the elevator came rushing through the factory. Everyone had turned in early except for Taylor who stayed up to tell Wonka about the phone call. When she heard the sound, she ran out of her bedroom to the hallway to await Wonka. The sound of his heels was loud but slow, almost hesitant. When Wonka finally appeared from around the corner, he carried his cane under his arm and his top hand in his hand, but his goggles were still on. He was visibly shaking with every step he took, and Taylor knew something had to have happened. She ran to meet him halfway, and Wonka stopped walking and stood in place.

"Sir?" Taylor called out.

"Charlie has agreed to move into the factory along with his...."

"Family?"

"Yes." Wonka quickly answered, but it was shaky. Taylor inched closer and slowly reached out to take Wonka's hat and cane. He didn't protest or pulled away and allowed her to hold them. But when she reached for his goggles, he flinched and pulled away. Taylor withdrew her hand but then tried again with more determination to see his eyes. Wonka wanted to pull away again, but he didn't and allowed the girl to take away the only protection he had left.

Behind his giant white goggles were sorrowful and broken eyes. Wonka's eyes were red and he was holding back tears as best as he could. Taylor dropped his gear to the floor and cupped his face. When her cold hands touched his face, Wonka finally broke down and allowed the tears to fall. His legs gave out and he dropped to his knees, burying his face in her nightwear. His hands gripped at the back of her shirt like a child hanging on for dear life. Wonka didn't make any noise, but Taylor could feel the wetness on her shirt getting bigger.

"William, what happened?" Taylor stroked his hair and held him close. Wonka didn't speak, and Taylor felt hopeless as she only thought of the worse things. If Charlie had agreed to move in with his family, surely that couldn't be the reason for Wonka to be on his knees crying. Surely the idea of his family wasn't that bad. Taylor had no idea and could only hope that Wonka would find the energy between tears to tell her what happened.

"He made me go see my father." Wonka voice was airy, scared, hurt, and very much childlike. Taylor held her breath as she dropped to her knees to hug him tightly. That was not what she expected to hear, that was the last thing she would think Wonka would ever do. How in the world did Charlie get Wonka to actually agree to go and see his father? Taylor never brought up Wonka's parents-she knew the sheer idea of Wonka speaking about his dad would put him in a bad mood. She could remember the sour expression Wonka had on his face when he was split in two when he told her about his upbringing. It was the face of a man who would prefer to forget the past and be left alone. Taylor could only imagine Charlie being a force of change walking into Wonka's life. He wouldn't ask for anything but he would change so much. A force of change to make Wonka, a man of 'no' and 'never', break down and see the last living person who made his childhood a nightmare.

Taylor got to work getting Wonka back to his feet, she grabbed his things off the floor and helped him to his bedroom. She helped him change out of his clothes and into his robe. He kept quiet the whole time, after crying, he had locked himself away into his mind. For Taylor, it was like moving around a life-size rag doll that happened to be able to breathe. Once he was undressed, she sat him at his vanity and set to work wiping away his makeup. Thank God is was waterproof or else it would have been obvious he was crying. When she got half of his face off, Wonka shot a hand up to grab her wrist. Taylor gasped but kept still, Wonka turned his head toward his mirror and stared at himself.

"H-He didn't even recognize me," Wonka leaned closer to the mirror looking at the two different sides of his face. "He didn't even know who I was until he looked in my mouth." Wonka opened his mouth then slammed his teeth together like he was taking a bit of the air. A single tear fell from his eye and he sighed and turned back around for Taylor to continue. Taylor hadn't even noticed how tight he was gripping her wrist until he let go. He mumbled an apology and Taylor nodded before proceeding with the rest of his face. Once he was cleaned up Taylor took his hand and guided him to his bed.

Wonka took her hand and held it gently, "Stay with me tonight."

"I have to change my shirt." Taylor nervously smiled and pointed to where he had been crying.

"No, you don't." Wonka pulled her in and hooked the end of her shirt and pulled it off of her. Taylor wore under her shirt, she never did when going to bed, and for now, she wasn't embarrassed that Wonka was looking at her. Wonka threw the shirt to the ground and pulled Taylor into bed next to him. She snuggled into his side as he wrapped the blankets around them. His arms hooked around her and he buried his head in her chest. He could hear how fast her heart was beating and it soothes him. Taylor ran her fingers through his hair, slowly trying to calm him down the rest of the way. When she could feel his breathing hollow, she knew he was deep into sleep floating away in his dreams that put him in a much more happier place. She also knew that if she tried to move, he would wake up and be very grumpy, so she was stuck where she was like a cat mom. Not wanting to deal with that she took off her glasses and placed them behind her on the bedstand.

Tomorrow was a brand new day. Wonka may or may not wish to talk about what happened, and that was okay with Taylor. Wonka would need time before he could talk about the thing that hurt him the most. Taylor would give him the time in the world. Tomorrow Charlie and his family were planned to be moved into the factory. Tomorrow Taylor would once again remember to tell Wonka about the phone call. Tomorrow was tomorrow and no one knew what that would bring.


	8. Moving Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pfff I didn't reread this sorry!  
> But now I'm back into the swing of things we can continue!

In a week's worth of time, Taylor had to oversee the construction of Charlie's house being moved into the factory early the following Saturday morning. In said time, Wonka hadn't changed back to his normal behaviour. Every time she tried to ask him what happen or what he was thinking about, he would pick up his cane and hurry away. But at night he would call for her to accompany him in bed so he wasn't alone.

She managed to wiggle out of bed from Wonka grip and start work all by herself. She could tell he wouldn't be starting his day till later, before she left the room, she knew he was already awake, staring out the window behind the couch. Charlie had already set the bar in what he was capable of doing. Even Taylor couldn't get Wonka to talk about his father, let alone visit the man. Of course, Wonka would know where the man was in case of events. But that didn't mean he would ever go and see the man unless he was being buried ten feet under.

Taylor had to double check the elevator to see if there was a button for his father's location. As she snooped through the many rows, she finally found it. The button looked brand new, never been pressed like all the other buttons, shinny and begging to be of use. Taylor's heartfelt heavy at the thought that every time Wonka got on the elevator, he would stare at the button. He would want to break the button off with the butt of his cane and pretend it was never installed. 

In the candy room, Taylor looked over the blueprint of the roof and sighed. Wonka was indeed the type of person to wake up a family at 5 am to move their house into his. He wouldn't be the one to walk all the way over to the Bucket house in the bitter morning chill and announce the moving. That was left to Taylor. Who by the way had to introduce herself as Wonka's assistant. The dirty look Mr Bucket gave Taylor was justified but the sweet smile Mrs Bucket gave the girl eased her soul. Charlie was overly excited and the first to leave the house and run towards the factory at full speed. When Taylor managed to get the new family into the factory with the help of the Oompa Loompas, she had them all set up in the guest rooms. The grandparents settled in well, sure Grandpa Geroge complained the whole time and Grandma Georgina spoke nonscene, but Grandpa Joe and Grandma Josephine were as sweet as cake. Taylor knew right off the bat whose set of parents belonged to which parent. 

"Are they going to take my house apart?" Charlie stood beside Taylor sneaking peeks of the blueprints and watching the Oompa Loompas gear up to open the roof.

"No dear, they are going to airdrop your house." Taylor looked over and smiled then dropped to her knees so the boy could get a better look. 

"But my house is rather broken, wouldn't dropping it make it worse?"

"Not with those little buddies doing the work. I'm sure Wonka would have liked to give you all rooms or even a new house. But since you were so stubborn on having your old one, this is how we're bringing it in." Taylor ruffled Charlie's hair and the boy laughed. Taylor pulled away and back on her feet when she heard her walkie talkie beeping in morse. They were ready to bring in the house and to open the roof. Taylor unclipped her walkie talkie and gave the team on the roof the green light to start reading themselves. Charlie watched in amazement as he saw his house being carried by two helicopters over the factory. It was slowly lowered into the building gently and when it was only an inch off the ground, the workers cut the ribbon like straps to allow the house to plop into its new slot. 

"Amazing!" Charlie cheered and clapped for the workers. The little men bowed and tossed up their hats at a job well done and Taylor couldn't help but smile.

"Did I miss the grand show already?" Scarlet came from behind the duo still dressed in her pyjamas sipping a cup of coffee. She introduced herself to Charlie and the boy was amazed that there was someone else here as well.

"Are you mister Wonka's wife?" Charlie asked innocently, causing Scarlet to choke on her drink and Taylor to snap her neck towards the boy. Charlie didn't seem to get the cues as he smiled harder and waited for an answer. 

"His wife? Kid, you really think I would ever sle-" Scarlet was cut short by Taylor clearing her throat and giving Scarlet a look of keeping it clean. "Um....actually no Charlie. I'm not Wonka's wife, Miss Taylor is."

"What!" Taylor nearly fell over into the river, luckily a railing was there to catch her.

"Really!" Charlie spun on his feet and bounced towards Taylor. "You said you worked for him, you never said you were Mrs Wonka. That's amazing! How long have you been married? Did you guys have a big wedding or a little one like my parents? Did you-"

"Charlie, it's not good to ask people so many questions at once. You'll overwhelm them." Mrs Bucket quickly hurried over to silence her son. Charlie blushed and gave his apologizes before ducking behind his mother. Mrs Bucket mouthed a sorry and smooth her son's hair.

"I couldn't help but overhear that your Mrs Wonka?"

"Actually I'm not." Taylor smiled nervously and shook her head.

"Not yet," Scarlet corrected then started to walk away. Taylor wanted to throw something at her and tell her to get her blonde ass back here. Mrs Bucket giggled then shook her hand understanding.

"Well, congratulations on your engagement. I can see your ring miles away. Rather big isn't it?" Taylor looked down at her hand then back up and sighed. She forgot she was wearing it, since Wonka gave it to her she never took it off. After a while, it was just apart of her and she never remembered to take it off. Was it an engagement ring? Wonka called it more of a promise ring, a promise that maybe when he wasn't busy he'll think about it. Think about them. Taylor played with the ring between her fingers and nodded. 

"Well he does like to put on a show, even when it's in ring size. Though it's more of a promise ring than an engagement." Taylor brought her hand up and smiled. Mrs Bucket smirked, she could tell by the way Taylor looked at the ring it meant more than a promise. Mrs Bucket once had the same face when her husband gave her a ring. The look was filled with love and happiness. She wanted to tell Taylor that no real man gave a giant promise ring like that to the one he loved. But she kept her mouth shut and allowed the girl to believe what she wanted. 

"So hows the house?" Mrs Bucket changed the topic with raised bows. Taylor came out of her trance and looked over her shoulder.

"Oh, it's here, all in one piece and ready for everyone to move back in."

"How did you manage to do something like this?" Mrs Bucket was in awe, she gripped her son's shoulder and walked towards the house.

"Well, the little workers are great at pulling off any task you throw their way." Taylor motioned over to the set of workers building a generator behind the house for power. They perked up and waved at the Buckets and Mrs Bucket awkwardly waved back.

"Are they human?" The woman didn't wish to be rude but the question slipped from her lips before she could reword it.

"Very much so," Taylor clipped her walkie talkie back on her dress and motioned for the Buckets' to follow her towards their house. Mrs Bucket hurried in front of her with an 'excuse me' and pushed over the door to open it for her guest. Taylor waked inside and for the first time since visiting that morning, she got a good look around. It really was a broken-down shack of a house, but it felt a very welcoming and warm home. Taylor could feel it, and it made her smile, in turn, Mrs Bucket did the same.

"It's not much, but it is home, our home, and just as you welcomed us into yours, you are welcomed into our." Mrs Bucket hugged Charlie close to her side. Taylor looked down at the mother and son and smiled.

She wanted that.

That feeling of family.

That feeling of a home.

The sound of Taylor's phone ringing brought everyone out of their trance. Taylor apologized and walked out of the house to take the call. She didn't have to check the caller ID to know who was ringing her.

"You've reached Taylor, leave a message after the beat. BEEP!" Taylor chuckled, she could hear the groaning from the other end before Wonka cleared his throat. She could tell he was still in bed from the sound of the sheet ruffling and the creaking of the mattress.

"Was everything smooth sailing?" Wonka asked.

"Smooth like the river, Sir. Are you going to come down and greet everyone?"

"Of course not, not after...that..." Wonka was hesitant to speak of what happened. He felt terrible for how he acted when he first met Charlie's parents. He felt embarrassed to strut his way towards them apologizing. 

"You'll have to eventually if you wish to teach Charlie."

"I know."

There was silence, Wonka had something to say, and he didn't have the nerve to say it. Taylor told herself she would be patient with him, but not she was slightly annoyed. As Taylor looked around the candy room, she noticed a group of Oompa Loompas chatting amongst themselves. They weren't signing but she could tell whatever they were talking about was important. They looked to be in distress, then another worker from the shipping department came and started talking to them. As she began to pay more attention to them, one of them caught her eyes and quickly signed  _ 'problem, shipping, Wonka' _ . Taylor felt her heart jump to her throat as her brain kicked into overdrive. 

"Wonka we have a problem."

"What?"

"I forgot to tell you something and now is a terrible time to bring it up but I think it's better than never."

"Taylor there is no way you are pregnant I made-"

"NO! My god! You little- no,  _ Sir _ , I forgot to tell you someone called you last week. And by someone, I mean Mara Piker." As soon as the name left her lips, Taylor could hear Wonka jumping out of his bed and the phone falling to the floor. A faint 'god fucking damnit!' was his response before picking up the phone again.

"She called and you failed to inform me?!" Wonka was pissed. It was a mix of Taylor lollygagging and the stress of Charlie, he's voice rose like the time she stood in his after when his brother first visited. 

"Yes I did and I apologize! I wanted to tell you the night you came back from Charlie's, but you were so warned out. Then I tried again before now, but you wouldn't stand still." Taylor's voice lowered and her brows knotted.

"You should have just screaming it, you scream everything else at me."

"Do not!"

"Do too!"

"Do not!"

"Do too!"

"Excuse me, is everything okay?" Taylor snapped around to face Mrs Bucket and a very worried Charlie. Taylor's eyes grew big and she quickly nodded, she placed her hand over the phone quickly.

"Mrs Bucket I'll be the first to tell you, Mr Wonka is a very childish man, who plays very childish games, and does very childish things."

"I heard that!" Wonka yelled through the phone.

"If you excuse me, I have to go tend to him." Taylor covered her hand away from her phone and hung up on him. She bowed her head quickly before running back towards the elevator to leave. Mrs Bucket and her son couldn't form words fast enough to match the speed the young woman took off in, they were left standing by their house confused. Charlie didn't seem to mind and thought it was funny. While his mother was starting to consider moving into this candy factory was going to be a mistake later.

"Can I go with Miss Taylor, mom?" Charlie beamed up to his mother, who wasn't aware her mouth slightly hung open. She closed it sharply and turned towards him shaking her head.

"Not right now, my dear. It seems that they have something important to talk about. Maybe later you can go, alright?" The gentlewoman patted her son's hair then kissed his forehead. Charlie was an easy child and understood, so instead, he ran off to talk to the Oompa Loompas. 

~~~

"I can't believe this!" Wonka threw the report on the table and threw his hands in the air. He didn't bother getting dress and walked all the way to the file room in his robe and hair tied back. "This woman wishes to make a joke out of me. And you didn't even tell me she called. Who knows if she's on her way now." 

Taylor said nothing and rolled her eyes, had he been in a better mood she would have told him sooner. But oh no, she had to tend to the baby man in his time of need. Scarlet wasn't happy to be dragged out of her rope practice for an emergency meeting. Wonka finally stopped pacing and snapped his fingers for the profile wall to light up. A little worker came forward with another chart in hand and gave it to his boss. Wonka took it and read through all the recorded reports from the time his truck went missing till now. When he finished, he threw that one down too, harder than the former, which caused Taylor to jump. Scarlet was used to unnecessary angry so she sat perfectly still. 

"Sir?" Taylor tried to call out but was quickly silenced by his eyes. Wonka held his gaze for a while before the softness in Taylor's eyes broke him. He didn't want to yell at her, not like before, he knew she didn't like being yelled at. He sighed and rubbed his face before turning his back towards her and leaning against the table.

"Sir?" Taylor tried again, "Are you going to call her back?"

"Yes, it's the only way to stop her arriving if she isn't already on her way."

"I'm sorry," Taylor whispered.

"It's fine, though I will rather be dealing with the blonde who wants in my pants rather than the one who wants to kill me." Wonka rolled his shoulders and pushed off the table. He began to walk away without saying a word tot he girls, his stride was harsh and his limp seemed to get worse. Taylor gripped at the ends of her dress as she watched him snap his fingers again for a group of worker's to follow him.

"Lighten up, Taylor, if something happens I'll be the one going, not you," Scarlet said, weakly smiling towards the other, but it didn't help any. 

"I missed up again." That was all Taylor could process and Scarlet quickly grabbed her hand to get her attention.

"No you didn't, you had to deal with other stuff first. Things are going to be okay, even if they get as shitty as last year I'm sure we'll be fine. Wonka is a tough bitch to attach, let alone kill." Scarlet tried her best to sound upbeat as she reinsured Taylor.

"You're right," Taylor said.

"I know I am," Scarlet replied, then let go of Taylor's hand as she got up from the table and said her goodbyes. Taylor was left at the table with the reports scattered about. She sighed and set to work collecting them and putting them back in the folder until a tag of her uniform caught her attention. It was Dave with a tray in hand, it was hand decorated cookies and milk. Taylor weakly smiled and sat back down and allowed Dave to place the tray in front of her.

Taylor took a cookie from the tray and bit into it, "You didn't have to."

_ "I didn't. Boss did." _

Taylor cocked an eyebrow and looked back towards the cookies. Under the small stack was a marron card with gold writing that said 'I'm sorry for yelling -W'. Taylor picked it up and reread it over and over before she tucked it into her bra. 

"Isn't he just the sweetest?" She said sarcastically taking another bite of her cookie. Dave chuckled then saluted before running off. Taylor finished off two of the cookies but didn't feel capable of eating the rest. Despite having other works around her in the filing room, she felt alone. So she set out back towards the Candy Room, maybe Charlie would like a cookie.


	9. [UPDATED!!!]

**1.**

Hey hey how ya doing babes

I'll keep this short to the point

I've had to stop this stories progression due to school and stress and then the lack of interest 

but I do plan on starting it up and finishing it just like I did the other

but it will take some time due to lack of motivation but I will promise this story will make it to it's finish

**2.**

If any of you wish to interact with me you can find me on Tumblr [ [Blackevermore](https://blackevermore.tumblr.com/)] 

_or if you want my discord which I'm on all the time ya ask for it_

this way if any of you wanna know something in advance or have any questions on how i even came up with this bat shit crazy story

you have a way to contact me since I don't really check here for comments ( ten tabs open to this site but none to check my shit pff )

Till then

-Cev


	10. Dinner

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for how ehh this is, trying to get my footing back

Charlie had something about him that put Taylor at ease. Was it his smile? Or the way he spoke so proper? Or the way his eyes lit up when Taylor told him in private that if he ever wanted his own room when he got older, she would make sure to it? Whatever it was, Taylor felt better to be around it, be around him and all his glory. Taylor had allowed Wonka's yelling and cold shoulder slide off her back as she was welcomed into the Bucket house and properly introduced to the family.

"Ma, Pa, this is Wonka's assistant Miss Taylor. She's the one that came this morning to move us." Mrs Bucket stood in front of Taylor and spoke louder than usual towards the elderly. One of the old men in the bed seemed strongly displeased with greeting Taylor. He crossed his arms over and chest and huff.

"Don't mind him, ma'am, he is always in a bad mood. Aren't you Geroge?" The other elderly man chuckled and wiggled his foot under the bed to nug the other.

"Ah, whatever." Grandpa George turned more into himself away from everyone. Taylor wanted to say something nasty under her breath but she quickly kept it to herself. She'd hope that when death came knocking on the factory door it be him first.

"I love frogs, they always seem so happy and free." Grandma Georgina said, winking towards Taylor with an all-knowing smile. Taylor didn't know what to make of it so she smiled back and nodded. No one else seemed to mind the very random comment and continued on with their conversation.

"Will you be coming to dinner, dear? Since this is our first time in our new home." Mrs Bucket looked around then giggled. "Well outer new home that is, you must come to dinner. Wonka as well."

"And Miss Scarlet!" Charlie bounced about upstairs before quickly sliding down the latter that connected his room to the living space.

"Whose's Scarlet?" Mr Bucket finally peaked up from his newspaper with a curious brow.

"Miss Scarlet is Mister Wonka's other assistant, I thought she was Mister Wonka's wife but I was wrong." Charlie grew quiet at his silent embarrassment and Taylor chuckled. "But that's okay because Miss Taylor is Wonka's wife."

"Charlie!" Taylor blurted out. Mrs Bucket covered her mouth to repress a giggle and Mrs Bucket turned to her and nodded.

"Well that's a change in events, he didn't look like a marrying type. Let alone be into women." Mr Bucket said the last bit under his breath enough for the child in the room not to hear.

"Oh trust me he isn't. But for some reason, he really likes his strawberries coated in chocolate now." Taylor wiggled her brows towards the man and he gasped.

"I like chocolate strawberries too!" Charlie commented with so much innocence. His parent did they're best to no react, Mrs Bucket turned away towards the kitchen area with her hand over her mouth, and Mr Bucket brought the newspaper back up to cover his reddening face. Charlie was confused as even his grandparents seemed to ignore him. Except for Grandma Georgina who started clapping to a song in her head.

Taylor shook her head and kneed down to Charlie's eyesight and waved him over, "Wonka has a secret stash of strawberries in the inventing room. After dinner, I can bring you some." Charlie's eyes lit up with excitement as he thought the many different ways Wonka would have made them better with his chocolate.

"He wouldn't get mad at you for doing that, like he did with the Nerds rope, will he?"

"You remember that? I told you the story a month ago." Taylor smirked and cocked a brow.

Charlie tapped his forehead with his finger, "I have the sharpness like a Dolphine. Just like my mama. She remembers the time papa took an extra cookie from Grandpa Joe's plate one holiday, he was in so much trouble."

"As sharp as a nail, Charlie." Grandpa Joe chuckled and ruffled the boy's hair. Taylor rolled her eyes and nodded as she promised she wouldn't get in trouble for giving away Wonka's creation. Charlie seemed convinced enough and beamed with happiness.

"But not until after dinner," Mrs Bucket passed by the two with a table clothe in hand and her husband hurrying to his feet to help her make the table around the grandparents. Taylor was a bit taken back to see that the grandparents really didn't move from where they were. The world went on around them and it seemed to be the way life was for the Buckets.

"No hurry along Miss Taylor, gather everyone and bring them to dinner for a home warming." Mrs Bucket used her motherly voice teasingly to get Taylor to her feet and out the door. Taylor nodded and shouted a quick 'see ya soon' to the family before bobbing out the door.

"I thought he was gay." Mr Bucket whispered into his wife's ear as she tucked napkins into the elder's shirts.

"Noah!" Mrs Bucket turned around and smacked her husband's shoulder and the man laughed and moved away. "Don't say that!"

"He looks like a fruit cake. Looks like he'd paint the world in rainbows." Grandpa George grumbled and Mr Bucket nodded in agreement before his wife tried to hit him on the shoulder again.

"He might like to dress nice." Grandma Joepshina commented.

"Thank you mother," Mrs Bucket shot a look to her husband and her in-law.

"Mister Wonka has always dressed like that, when I worked for him he had long hair before he cut it all off. He has always been a magical man." Grandpa Joe smiled and took his daughter's hand and pat it.

"You're a fruit." Grandpa George chuckled.

"At least I didn't kiss Steven Milkmaker while stationed in Italy." Grandpa Joe looked over the edge of his glasses at George as the old man's face twisted in shock and he quickly turned away.

"We're all magical on the inside." Grandma Georgina rambled in between the two men.

"Alright, alright, no fighting at the table you old coots." Mr Bucket chuckled and finished dressing their laps to set the table. Charlie helped his mother grab plates and silverware and lay them out.

"What's a fruit, mom?" Charlie asked.

Not missing a beat between the words she shook her head and shrugged, "The only fruit I know is the one we'll grow in our new garden." She leant down and kissed Charlie's forehead and the boy nodded.

~~~

Dinner was soon so Taylor hurried to get on the elevator that was across the candy bridge from the house. When she got to the hallway where Wonka's office was she hoped jumped and skipped towards the door and knocked. There wasn't an answer so Taylor let herself in, the room was dark and Wonka didn't seem to be in there. Maybe he was in his room? Taylor got back on the elevator and went to his room and knocked. Once again there wasn't an answer so she let herself in, he wasn't there either. Taylor tried to think of where he could have strutted off to but the results were too great. It would be better just to call him and tell him to get his ass in gear for dinner. But before Taylor could do that she went to Scarlet's room. Taylor didn't have to wonder if Scarlet was there since that's the only place she would be if she wasn't with Taylor.

"Come in," Scarlet called from the other side and Taylor entered happily.

"Come to dinner with the Buckets?" Taylor asked.

"No thank you, I'm going out tonight," Scarlet answered as she rampaged through her closet for something.

"Wilfred is here?" Taylor stayed by the door and crossed her arms behind her back. Scarlet shook her head and pulled a bag from the bottom of the closet. It was her work bag which meant she was going on a mission. It most likely was to keep an eye out for Wonka. Scarlet met Taylor eyes and the younger girl and quickly looked away.

Scarlet turned to her dresser and pulled out her black bodysuit, "I don't know where he is."

"I figured. Guess I'll entertain the family, this was all his idea."

"Yeah, but you aided his imagination."

"I try not to." Taylor laughed and said her goodbye before slipping back out the door. Scarlet smiled as she watched the other leave, once she was out the door Scarlet let out the biggest sigh and continued packing.

Taylor pulled out her phone when she got to the hallway and scrolled to call her boss. However, when she got to his contact she felt the weight of unsureness creep up her shoulders. Something in the back of her head told her not to call him and leave him be. For a second she tried to reason with herself that he couldn't still be upset with her from earlier. But that only made it worse as she started to agree that he was and should be left alone. Biting her bottom lip she exited from his contact and shoved her phone back in her pocket. She could do dinner alone with the Buckets, they were good people, and Charlie was there to lighten up her mood.

As Taylor stepped onto the elevator the doors quickly shut behind her, without warning the death trap started to move. Taylor fell to the floor and then slid back against the wall as the elevator took a sharp turn.

"God fucking damnit!" Taylor shouted to no one as she tried to get to her feet and hang on. As she reached up to hold on against the wall. She was knocked to her feet once again by a sharp turn. After being knocked around like a bag of potatoes for a few more seconds, the elevator finally came to a stop. Taylor groaned and stayed on the floor trying to pull herself together.

"You're too old to be crawling on the floor." Taylor peaked from behind her hair and saw the polished boots and candy cane beside her.

"You called the elevator right when I stepped on." Taylor finally made it to her feet and fixed herself. Wonka covered his mouth with a gloved hand and giggled. Taylor ignored him and shook her head.

"You're coming to dinner with the Buckets?" Wonka asked her. Taylor slowly turned to him and stared, she was supposed to ask him that, she couldn't find the words to answer him so she nodded. "Figured."

"I mean if you don't want me to I'm perfectly fine staying in my room."

"No!" Wonka shouted then cleared his throat. "No, that's fine, it would be better if you came along."

"Ya sure? I can't leave this up to you and allow you to become accustomed to your new family."

"They are not my family. And I would prefer with you went along. God knows your the only one that can understand what's going on." Wonka rolled his eyes and gripped the handle of his cane tighter with both hands.

"What's that to mean?" Taylor narrowed her eyes and leaned forward. She hoped he wasn't implying social class. Just because she didn't grow up in a two-story house with a spacious backyard didn't mean she was poor. Wonka could sense her eyes starting to burn holes in the side of his neck and he groaned.

"I meant that you grew up with a functional family. I didn't."

"My family wasn't functional, it was dysfunctional and crazy but we understood what love was and respect each other. Don't make assumptions about people based on how they present themselves. You should know."

"I do know. But your family was better than mine." Wonka didn't wish to meet Taylor's eyes as she continued to search his face for answers.

"Just say you want me there." Taylor poked his side and Wonka flinched away and swatted her hand. As the elevator came to a stop in the candy room, Wonka reached over and took Taylor hand. Taylor smiled and stepped off the elevator with him as they made their way towards the house.

~~~

"She told me I smelled like peanuts," Wonka said so conflicted and confused and a tab bit worried.

"She also said that you should swim in moon craters but only at 3 am." Taylor stood behind him at his vanity brushing his hair for the night. Dinner had ended an hour ago and was amazing, more than Wonka would care to admit. Now the couple was in his bedroom finishing the last bit of their bed routine. Wonka shook his head trying not to think too much of the nonsense Grandma Georgina spewed.

"You enjoyed dinner didn't you?" Taylor asked with an all-knowing smile. Wonka looked at her through the mirror and tried to stop the grin that started to form but failed. He shrugged instead and gave her a look that said it all.

"It was tolerable." He said back.

"They have dinner every night, you can always go and enjoy yourself."

"Won't you come?"

"Do you want me to?" Taylor stopped brushing for a bit and looked at him. Wonka nodded and Taylor smiled and nodded back before continuing with his hair. He went back to removing his makeup and finally reaching back to take the brush from Taylor. When he did so the young girl nodded and made her way towards the door.

"Where are you going?" Wonka didn't look away from the mirror as he pushed a headband across his bangs.

"My room, its time for bed," Taylor responded as she reached for the door handle to open the door and leave.

Wonka cleared his throat and it stopped her in her tracks.

"Just say you want me to say, any other times you know how to use your words." Taylor huffed and closed the door and marched over to his bed to plopped down. She watched Wonka check over his face again and sighed. "Stop it. You're stunning, pure perfection, a dying man's wet dream." That earned a snort out of Wonka and he turned off the lights on the vanity.

"A dying man's wet dream?" He turned around in his chair and knotted his brows at her.

"Yeah, you're also a soccer mom's secret fantasy. Though I think she's more of a yummy mommy living through her kid." Taylor brought up her hand to do a fake thinking pose and Wonka groaned.

"Don't bring that woman up." He stood from his chair and tightened his robe around his waist.

"What she doesn't do it for you anymore? Its the hair isn't it?" Taylor teased, Wonka shot her a look then walked over to the light switch to turn the lights off but the lamps on. Taylor knew he was most likely going to still be up doing something on his tablet. As she started to move out the way so he could get in the bed she was caught by her ankle and pull forward causing her to land on her back.

"It's definitely the hair, I much rather have giant afro puffs in my face. Or braids that somehow end up in my mouth when I wake up. Or the soft silky feeling of a hair scarf against my chest." Wonka slowly crawled from the foot of the bed up and over Taylor. The poor girl felt her heart stop and she covered her face with her hands. Wonka chuckled and pulled her glasses off her face and placed them on the side table.

"My hair does not end up in your mouth...does it?"

"More times then anyone would care to admit. But it's okay."

"Oh god!" Taylor nervously chuckled and pulled her hands away. Wonka wasted no time taking her lips into his. Taylor couldn't respond in enough time and quickly became breathless. Wonka switched between her lips and her neck leaving trails in his wake. He bit down gently on space where her shoulders and neck met causing her to gasp and fidget. Taylor's head spun in circles at how fast everything was going and quickly tried to pull away.

"W-Wait a minute," Taylor gripped the back of his hair to pull him off of her. That didn't help much as she felt Wonka's excitement only get bigger. "What's this about?" She tried to ignore him as best as she could as he tried to pull out of her grip.

Wonka smirked and reach up to pull her hair out of his hair, "Usually you don't ask questions."

"Usually I'm the one starting things. What's wrong?"

"Nothing is wrong, per se, I'm making up for something." Wonka slid a hand up Taylor shirt and took a hand full of her within his palm. "You slept in my bed with no shirt on so casually."

"Yeah, whose fault was that?" Taylor shivered as he toyed with her and she felt herself start to curl around him. Wonka used his other hand to cup under her knee and raise it so he could get closer.

"Would you like me to stop?"

"N-no please." Taylor huffed and turned her head to the side as Wonka leaned in once again and captured her neck.

"I wasn't going to."


	11. Sky Room

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remember this still takes place earlier this year so that's why the dates are from the past.  
> No Miss Rona will not be making a cameo pff

“It’s been two weeks since Charlie and his family moved in. Charlie is handling it well but I can tell his parents are a bit on edge. Grandpa Joe is really excited to be around Wonka, I’m sure he is just a fanboy at heart and Wonka didn’t sleep with him once upon a time. The other grandparents don’t seem to care about anything-- well maybe George does but from what I’ve been told, he is always like that.” Taylor hung off the side of the fainting couch twirling her feet in the air as she recalled the week she just had. With new faces now being around the factory it felt alive for once, it was such a weird feeling and Taylor wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or bad thing yet. Right now it was just a thing and it was happening. Charlie quickly went back to school under his mother’s order much to Wonka’s protest. After school, Charlie would race back to the factory and spend his time with Wonka. And because of how hectic everything had begun Taylor moved her therapy session with Jacques to Saturday mornings.

The two of them would be giggling away like two brothers finding a new hiding spot until Mrs Bucket came out and called one of her sons home. Dinner seems to work its way into Wonka’s normal routine as he gingerly made his way down to the candy room without being asked. Wonka found his rhythm with the family whereas Taylor (and Scarlet) kept their distance for the time being. It was cute and wholesome and Taylor teased him easily for it.

“Wonka has been out of his room more talking with Charlie. I asked him if he likes Charlie and he shrugged, but I know deep down what that means. He has really taken a fancy to the kid and I think they might turn out to be best friends. Wonka finally has a friend his own age.” Taylor laughed and behind her a high pitch little chuckle followed behind her. She sat up and adjusted herself to sit up against the arm of the chair. She stared off into the distance for a while sucking on the inside of her cheek. Her mind was running now. “He’s been more intimate with me.” The words felt heavy as they rolled from her tongue out into the open. It felt inappropriate to say out loud, not because she couldn’t talk about her and Wonka’s sex life but because it felt like it shouldn’t have been happening as often.

At first, she enjoyed it and thought that it was sweet, he would pull her in close and smother her into the privateness of the night. He would pull her into his office to update her on charts and status reports but when she went to dismiss herself he called her back and placed her on his desk. He stole kisses when no one was looking and even called her by her first name when he was sure no one was around. She tried to write it off that Wonka was in a good mood with Charlie around. Butcher knew what a good mood Wonka was like and this wasn’t it. Taylor began to feel a bit uncomfortable near the end of the week to the point she avoided him, he didn’t seem to notice but Scarlet did.

“Ever since this whole thing started he has been more forward with being with me.” Taylor turned towards Jacques who looked over the top of his glasses with a stoic yet curious expression. She wasn’t going to tell him about Wonka going to his father, she was sure he already knew that, but she was sure Wonka didn’t tell him that he cried the whole night he came back to the factory. Nor did Wonka tell the little worker that he has been asking Taylor to stay in his room since then. Taylor didn’t have to hear him talk to know what he was thinking and she shook her head quickly.

“He doesn’t want kids and he has made sure of that. I don’t know what’s up with him. He hasn’t really been in the inventing room so it can’t be a side effect of a candy. He isn’t overly stressed despite the hick-up with the tickets and the truck. I really don’t know what it is.” Taylor let out a big sigh and rubbed her face in defeat. If this was normal Wonka behaviour maybe she wouldn’t be too concerned. She would allow him to be as affectionate and lovey-dovey all he wanted. But that’s not who she was in love with and that’s not who he was. If they were to fool around it would be because Taylor pulled the strings and Wonka got tired of fighting back, naturally, Wonka was a hands-off person with a hands-off attitude. Taylor likes the challenge of their relationship and that’s what excited her, not when he willingly gave it to her and often at that.

“You can’t tell me about his session, can you?” Taylor asked Jacques who slowly shook his head. She knew it too good to be true to get the truth out of the little worker. Maybe the answer was in Wonka’s personal therapy session but she would never know. The only option she had left was to just ask him when she was given the chance. Quickly her session came to an end when the timer went off. Jacques signed to her to not overthink things and allow them to play out and to have a good day. Taylor thanked him and walked away back into the heart of the factory. The strong smell of sugar knocked Taylor back and she shook her head as she felt the small headache starting to form. She looked over to find the rundown Bucket house sitting peacefully in the middle of the meadow. It didn’t seem like anyone was up and about and from the small holes in the walls, she could tell the grandparents were still asleep.

Taylor smiled weakly then quietly made her way over to the chocolate river to sit at the bank. She kicked off her shoes like always and curled into herself as she watched the chocolate river flow smoothly down the way.

“Miss Taylor?” Charlie called from the other side of the river. Taylor looked up ready to wave the boy over until she saw Wonka standing next to him. She swallowed a bit and waved anyway and smiled. She couldn’t hear what Charlie said to Wonka but she saw him ruffle the boy’s hair and nod before walking away. Charlie smiled and ran across the candy bridge and to Taylor’s side. “Good afternoon Miss Taylor.”

“Afternoon Charlie. What were you and Wonka up to?” Taylor patted the spot next to her and Charlie happily took it.

“He was showing me around the rest of the factory and told me when we would get started on the basics.” The young boy was excited and Taylor should tell by the way he bounced his leg. The stars in his eyes shined the brightest she’s ever seen them as he went on to tell her what they did.

“Are you ready for all that?”

“I’m ready for anything. Wonka is amazing!” Charlie threw his heads up and laughed.

“He is,” Taylor sighed and looked away towards the river again. She hoped Charlie would keep that spirit of Wonka until his dying days. She hoped all the bad things that came with the factory would never touch Charlie and he would only see the same thing the world saw. A giant candy factory with a looney toon owner.

“Are you okay Miss Taylor?”

“Hmm? Oh yeah, I’m fine. I’m just kinda spaced out a bit. Sorry about that darling.” Taylor gave him a smile and Charlie’s worries slowly melted away. Taylor didn’t know what to say to make it completely go away so she bit her lip and took in a deep breath. “Say Charlie would you like to see my favourite place in the factory?”

“Yeah! Wait can we go there?”

“It’s my favourite spot Charlie, not his.”

“You also said he wouldn’t get mad about the strawberries.”

“For love's sake, Charlie stop calling me out.” Taylor booped the boy on the nose and Charlie giggled before getting to his feet. Taylor quickly joined him, threw on her shoes, and made way towards the elevator that wasn’t there before. Wonka must have sent it back when he set off. Either way, Taylor shrugged and told Charlie to hold on tight as she pressed the button for the sky room.

“Is this how you and mister Wonka spend your Saturdays?” Charlie bounced up and down on the sunk in mattress floor as chewed on marshmallows Taylor had delivered up to them.

“No, Wonka is normally busy and I’m with Scarlet.”

“Where is Scarlet?” Charlie jumped as high as he could before tucking his legs in to land on his butt. Taylor held up the bowl of marshmallows for they couldn’t topple over when he landed. “I haven’t seen her since you moved the house into the factory.”

“Scarlet goes on special deliveries for Wonka when he gets orders. He doesn’t leave the factory much anymore. He is scared of people.” Taylor winked at Charlie and the boy nodded.

“But if he is scared of people who did he have the ticket contest?”

“Needed an heir as he said.”

“ But if you two are going to be married doesn’t that mean you’ll have kids? Doesn’t that mean you’ll already have an heir?” Charlie was either too smart or too curious or all of the above for Taylor to quickly come up with a reply. She took a moment then shook her head.

“We won’t be getting married anytime soon so there won’t be any kids. Wonka wants an heir now so he went out and randomly found one, you.” Taylor poked the boy’s chest and it filled Charlie with laughter. She could have told him to the truth but she didn’t wanna ruin it. She would allow Charlie to believe he was the luckiest child in the world by a random selection until he asked for the truth.

“I hope I can live up to what he needs in an heir.” Charlie popped another marshmallow into his mouth and sighed.

“Charlie you’re gonna be more than he asked for. I knew the very moment I found out you got the ticket. Maybe it's fate we met before then, or maybe I just felt bad and randomly bought you chocolate and you wouldn’t go away.” Taylor smirked and Charlie rolled his eyes.

“I believe in fate.” The young boy said quietly.

“You do?”

“Yes, I believe that good things happen to good people and bad things happen to bad people. And if someone is only pretending to be bad then something good will happen to them to make them realize they were actually good the whole time. That’s what mum always says and I believe it. I’m a good person, even if sometimes I play pranks, I’m good.”

“You’re mighty wise, Charlie. Who do you get it from?” Taylor propped her chin in her palm, amazed at the workings of Charlie’s mind.

“ Mum says I’m just like Grandpa Joe.”

“I think she might be right.” Taylor reached out and ruffled Charlie’s hair and they laughed together. Taylor pulled away and turned around towards the large windows that overlooked the town.

“You know, I used to see you all the time from that window.”

“Really?” Charlie looked around Taylor towards the windows popping another sweet into his mouth.

“Unless there is another kid that liked to stand at the gates and look up.” Charlie blushed and ducked his head and Taylor giggled. “I’ve been here for almost six years and a lot of the times I would see you from his office window. When I started coming up here I would see you from here. I guess it is fate you won.”

“I really wanted to know what went on inside the factory. Grandpa Joe used to tell me stories of the factory all the time.”

“Well did it live up to your expectations?” Taylor took the bowl away from Charlie when she realized he was unknowingly shoving the sweets into his mouth. Charlie blushed again and apologized.

“It was more than I ever expected! I love it.” Charlie threw his hands up and fell back into the softness of the cushions. Taylor shook her head and turned back towards the window to watch the clouds. Today was still cold since it was February but the skies of England were clear and clouds parted gently for the sun to shine through.

“Yeah, me too Charlie.”

~~~

Taylor pushed the door into Wonka’s office hesitantly, she had just finished hanging out with Charlie in the sky room when she got the call for a meeting. Taylor didn’t want to go but she knew if she didn’t Wonka would come to collect her wherever she hid.

“Scarlet, have you located where the Pikers are?” Wonka faced towards his window with his hands behind his back. His coat and hat sat neatly on his desk and his hair was pulled back and out of his face. He peeked over his shoulder when he heard the door open and he nodded towards Taylor. She took her normal spot in one of the armchairs and waited for him to say something to her.

“Mara Piker and her family were in the states but they have since returned home. She planned the hijack while visiting and stayed put until she was sure she would get the ticket. She hasn’t made any moves to plan a visit to you, so I guess you don’t have to worry as of now.”

“Good. I really don’t want her here.”

“She did, however, find out you voided the ticket as soon as an anonymous tipped off reporters that a fake ticket was reported. She’s not happy about that.”

“I’m starting to think all your enemies are just people you slept with,” Taylor said out loud unknowingly until the words came out. She threw a hand over her mouth and Scarlet started to laugh on the other end.

“If only it was that easy. Mara Piker wanted to do business with me and I told her no. The most boring person on this earth wants something out of me is very ironic.” Wonka sat down in his chair and crossed his leg over his over and sat back comfortably. “Scarlet keep me updated when they do something out of the ordinary, they shouldn’t but Mara will start to get antsy when she realizes I don’t want to talk to her .”

“Will do.” Scarlet hung up first and the line started to buzz. Wonka hung up and sighed before tiredly turning towards Taylor.

“What are we dealing with here really?” The young girl asked as she sat back in her seat.

“I bought out Piker’s stoke with Smilex last year and finalized the co-partnership with them earlier this year.” Wonka crossed his fingers over his lap and looked away.

“Is that all?” Taylor knocked a brow and rolled her eyes, there was always more to the story than he ever let on.

“I also bought out her partnership from Tizzy Textiles to run a new trading route from Russia to Kazakhstan. I really needed the route to complete another order that had been on halt. She found out it was me and tried to buy it back but I put a five suspension on the buying rights. She was already on my ass when I started to form a monopoly ring in her howe town years ago. I had to pull out of that when I heard her father had died and she was taking over as chairman of her division in the mafia.” Wonka didn’t have to look over at Taylor to know the girl was attacking him with her eyes. She was about to blow up in his face the moment he turned around.

“You created your own enemy?!”

“I didn’t think she was much of a problem, like most women I had met at the time she was just there and I simply meant to walk around her.” Wonka fanned a hand in the air nonchalantly as if it wasn’t that big of a deal.

“You could have reasoned with her if you weren’t such an asshole! This all could have been avoided!” Taylor knew Wonka wasn’t an easy person to talk to in the business world, hell he was the worse of the worse since he smiled in your face. She was starting to realize after years of being around him all his enemies were created because he was ruthless and didn’t care to play fair. Last year was a prime example of that and it cost him a bullet to the leg. Wonka wasn’t untouchable, he was just good at dodging, he made his name known and he played the field recklessly with style. The reason he hadn’t been taken out before was because he was so quick on his feet and had associates in just the right places.

“You have no room to talk little missy,” Wonka shot her a look that told her to be careful. Taylor narrowed her eyes and huffed, he was right she didn’t have room to talk but she was going to do so anyway. “At least I can keep my mouth closed when dealing with things I shouldn’t.”

“I was a teenager. That’s what teenagers do.”

“You almost became someone lunch had it not been for me.”

“I’m thankful but that doesn’t change the fact you were or once were very sexist in the most bizarre way.”

“I’ve matured. I’ve learned my lesson.” Wonka grumbled and rolled his eyes before leaning forward and against his desk.

“So have I,” She stared Wonka down until she couldn’t handle it anymore and turned away. “So what are you going to do about this? You got a child to worry about now.”

“I don’t know.” Wonka sounded worried and it made Taylor’s heartache.

“We have to keep this away from Charlie and his family,” Taylor said.

“That’s why Scarlet is being put on this mission now and you are to watch over the bucket family. As long as we can keep things under control then we should be fine.” Wonka stood from his seat and walked past Taylor towards the fireplace. He picked up a small bag from the side table next to the armchair and pulled out little rocks. He threw them into the empty fireplace and as soon as they made contact with the ground a colourful fire came to life.

“Tell the Bucket’s I will not be coming to dinner tonight. Send them something sweet as an apology and tell Charlie when he returns home from school on Monday I will start his training.” Wonka stood in front of the fire watching the flames. Taylor rose from her seat and made her way to the door. “Also,” Wonka snapped his fingers to grab her attention and pointed to the side table at a box. Taylor stopped and looked down and saw a box with a green bow on it. She went over and picked up the box to look it over before opening it. “Happy Valentine's Day.”

“Is it really the 14th? Where has the time gone?” Taylor opened the box and a necklace sparkled from the flames of the fire. It was a gold choker with a swirly ‘W’ with an emerald in the centre of it as the pendant. “I swear you treat me like property.”

“You’re not property...anymore...you’re mine.” Wonka chuckled and peeked over his shoulder. He watched as Taylor got the choker out the box and slipped it around her neck.

“Wow, this is heavy.” Taylor moved her neck around a bit to try to figure out why it felt like a small weight rested there.

“It’s real. From the band to the lettering, hopefully, you're smart enough to know don’t buy fake jewellery.”

“Oh haha, you don’t even wear jewellery so how would I know.” Taylor placed her hands on her hips and stared into his back.

“You know everything else.” That was all Wonka had to say and Taylor knew he was smirking. She shook her head and walked towards the side of him and stood on her tippy toes to kiss his cheek.

“Thank you, Sir.” Wonka hummed and the girl left out the door. Wonka was left in silence for a few seconds until the door was kicked open.

“WAIT A DAMN MINUTE! IS THAT WHY YOU’VE BEEN ALL LOVEY DOVEY ALL OF A SUDDEN?!” Taylor yelled marching back into the office. Wonka wanted to yell at her about her spontaneous entrance but he bit her lip and choked back his want of straggling her.

“No,” He sighed and turned around with a deadpan expression.

“Then why are you suddenly all over me?” Taylor crossed her arms and tapped her foot. Wonka was caught off guard a bit and swallowed a lump in his through before answering. His cheeks started to burn and he knew he couldn’t look her in the eye.

“I just really craved touch at the moment, after what happened I just…”

“Wanted to be close?” Taylor finished for him.

“Yes,” Wonka grumbled and turned away once more towards the flames. Taylor blushed and smiled, honestly had he just been vocal about it she would have understood his motives better. Wonka was coming out of touched starved isolation, if he wanted to be close all he had to do was ask.

“Oh...I just thought your libido was working better than before, ya know since you’re getting up there in age.” Taylor snickered then started to back out of the door.

“Excuse me you?!” Wonka's face turned redder than before and he started towards her.

“ Don’t worry grandpa ya dick still works, I promise!” Taylor yelled back at him before running out the door and down the hall before he could get his hands on her. Wonka groaned and slammed the door shut to his office.

“Brat!”

~~~

A knock on the door caused the whole Bucket family to look up from preparing for dinner.

“I’ll get it!” Charlie yelled as he sat down on the silverware and ran to the door. When he opened it, Taylor stood on the other side holding a cake display of chocolate sprinkled cake and mini muffins.

“Evening Buckets, I came bearing apology gifts for Wonka’s absence tonight. Instead, I will be taking his place.”

“Miss Taylor!” Charlie cheered and moved out the way to allow the young woman into the house. Everyone welcomed her (all of them except Goerge) and Mrs Bucket took the sweets from her and told her to take Wonka’s normal seat. Within a few minutes dinner was being served. Since the Buckets moved in they no longer had cabbage soup every day, the Oompa Loompas made sure that Mrs Bucket’s menu was updated and had more to it. She was grateful but still insisted her soup was the best in the world. Of course, Charlie being the best son in the world and the kindest boy, agreed out of pity.

“Oh dear, it's wonderful to have you with us tonight. Why haven't you been joining us more often?” Mrs Bucket passed Taylor a plate and the girl thanked her with a smile.

“Busy. Having you guys move in flipped my workload upside down and Wonka was too busy to help.” Taylor answered then passed the incoming cabbage soup towards her right.

“Oh dear, Wonka must be hair deep in work now that he’s found his heir.” Grandpa Joe said.

“Charlie doesn’t start training till Monday after school.”

“This won't get in the way of his schoolwork, will it? I don’t mind my boy taking over an empire of sweets but I would like for him to still focus on his schoolwork.” Mrs Bucket chimed in worried like any mother should be.

“You sound like my mom before I took this job. Don’t worry Charlie workload will be balanced and looked over by me.” Taylor ensured her.

“Before you came to work here? How old are you?” It was Mr Bucket’s turn to butt into the conversation.

“I turn twenty-one in May,” Taylor tried to play it cool by telling people her age but when she saw the way Mrs Bucket’s eyes widened she knew the cool left the room.

“You’re barely an adult and you’re marrying Wonka? How old is he?” Mrs Bucket no longer felt the need to eat. Instead, she felt the need to know how, when, why and where. Taylor fixed her glasses and giggled nervously as she poked around in her food trying to find a reasonable way to answer the woman.

“Wonka looks the same as the day I worked for him. I’m sure he is in her reasonable age range. No more than past his thirties.” Grandpa Joe tried to help Taylor by lessening the blow of the question.

“The sky isn’t blue it’s clear.” Grandma Georgina said but was quickly ignored.

“I assure you Mrs Bucket Wonka isn’t as old as you think he is.” Taylor hoped the lady wouldn’t press the matter any further and would move on to something else. Mrs Bucket sensed how nervous she made the girl and backed off but a part of her, the motherly side, still wanted to know what was going on. “Also we’re not getting married. It's just a promise ring, a promise that we’ll always work together for the best.”

“Then he might actually be a fruit.” Mr Bucket chuckled under his breath, his father Goerge joined and that earned both of them a look from the wife.

“Well as long as your mother is okay with this.” Ms Bucket trailed off her sentence when she saw the way Taylor's eyes widened. Before she could ask any more personal questions Charlie swooped in to save the day.

“Miss Taylor took me to the sky room! It looks out towards the city and it is really beautiful. Miss Taylor you should take my parents up there one day to see the view.” Charlie beaned with life and it seemed to distract everyone in the room. Mrs Bucket went from concerned to strangely amazed at the mention of a skyline.

“Oh?” The mother turned from her son to Taylor with wonder.

“Oh yeah, Wonka has a lot of room in this factory that is filled with wonder. I found the sky room a while back and it was breathtaking. I can take the whole family if you would like.” Taylor let out a quick breath she had been holding and winked at Charlie as a ‘thank you’. The young boy smiled back.

“Oh I don’t know about that, how would we get them up there?” Mr Bucket took a bit of his food and waved his fork between his parents and his in-laws.

“Grandpa Joe can walk.” Charlie pointed out and his grandpa smiled and wiggled his toes.

“I don’t wanna go.” Grandpa Goerge huffed and ate his food.

“Well, I do!” Granda Jophina said, shooting a look towards her relative. “Oh, Joe we could dance like we once did before the war.” The old woman became dreamy as she thought of the good days.

“I can take all of you next weekend when everyone isn’t busy. Sunday, Sunday would be a good day, it’s my off day when I can do whatever I want. How about it?” Taylor looked between Mr and Mrs Bucket, Mrs Bucket thought about it for a moment but then her husband put his hand on her shoulder with an easy smile.

“That sounds wonderful. If you don’t mind Miss Taylor.” Mrs Bucket began to finally eat her food as she settled the plans.

“Not at all.”

“Thank you for coming to dinner miss Taylor, the cake was wonderful and so were the muffins. I didn’t know mister Wonka could bake.” Charlie told his parents he would walk Taylor to the elevator to see her off for the night.

“Oh yeah, he used to bake all the time but he doesn’t anymore. He doesn’t do a lot of things we used to enjoy besides making candies. He used to paint when he was younger, now you will never catch him with any brushes or paints.” Taylor recalled the time she found his old paint books while in the vaults filled from cover to cover in small highly detailed works of art. She was so amazed by his talent she took one to hide in her room, she was sure he would know she had it since he never brought it up.

“Mister Wonka really is wonderful.” Charlie cooed as sighed as he thought of all the cool things his new mentor could do. Taylor shook her head at his wondrous nature, when they made it to the elevator they said their goodbyes and Taylor was swept away to her room.


End file.
